Oak Town Living
by Tiger-Cub684
Summary: AU. After impulsivly moving to a small town farm, Simone enters a new world of love, magic and a war against an Unspeakable Evil. Oh the insanity...
1. A New Begining

**Note: This is my first ever Fan Fiction, so please be gentle with the reviews. And no Flames please. The story is a little more original than other HM fan fics I've read, in fact, the characters, places and even a few other details, are completely original, although if you read carefully, you may or may not see some similarities between these characters and the ones from Mineral Town. But there are certainly references between some characters, like Greg being Zack's (from mineral town) brother. There is just enough things unchanged, to keep this a fan fiction. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Natsume, Harvest Moon or the rights to their companies, but I would like to. I own most of the characters here. **

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Oak Town Living

Chapter 1 – A new beginning

It was the last day of winter. I sat in my chair, with my cup of coffee, reading the newspaper as always, just like yesterday, just like the day before.

_My life is so boring. I wonder why I haven't left already... I guess there has just never been a good reason to leave_. _There is nothing here for me_. _My parents are constantly on some world cruise; my brother and his girlfriend are in California, what is left for me here? Nothing. The only things I have here are my boring dead-end job in a call-center, which I hate with a passion, and my stuck up friend Gwen, who is only friends with me for my money. My parents won the 10 million dollar jackpot a few years back, giving my brother and me, 3 million each. They kept the rest. A "retirement fund" they called it. I hate the city. I hate my stupid apartment. I hate my life! _

_Life is soooo boring. Not like the previous generation_. My family had this kind of family secret, about my mysterious Great Uncle Gerald. Apparently he had been on a cruise to Antarctica, 30 years ago, but his boat never got to its destination. It just seemed to have disappeared. Search parties went on for weeks, but they never even found any remains or bodies. My great uncle had disappeared. Everyone believed that he was dead, but Grandma refused to give up on him. Even until her dying day, a few years ago, she still firmly believed that he was alive. _But nothing like that ever happens these days_.

_I don't know why I even came here to New York_. After I graduated from high school, I wanted to become a vet. Because of my "extraordinary talents" I finished my Uni course in only a year, instead of the normal five. I was promised a job in a clinic here in New York, but when I got here, they said my Australian Degree was not valid in the United States. My only options were to waste another year re-doing my course here in America, or find another job. The only thing I was qualified for here was to work in a call center. If you think it is annoying to have teller-marketers call you, offering you great deals all the time, imagine working for one, and being hung-up on every five minutes. _It's my job, it's not like I enjoy harassing people_.

I browsed through the wanted section of the paper, only half paying attention when my eyes caught a bright logo. A purple flower, _very pretty_.

"I wonder where these grow." I said to myself. My eyes scrolled down the text beneath the picture. The Ad read:

'_Are you sick and tired of your boring, dead-end job?_'

"Yes" I said

'_Are you sick of fake friends who only like you for material reasons?_'

"Yes" I said again, getting excited

'_Are you ready to make a life changing decision that you will never regret_?'

"YES!" I shouted, startling the bluebird on my windowsill

'_If you answered YES to these questions, we're looking for YOU. Come to Oak Town in Heart-Side Valley, Australia, and start your new life TODAY_!'

My heart leapt at that last sentence. _Australia_. My homeland. It seems as if all my dreams are about to come true.

_Scratch _

"AHHHHHH"

I was pulled from my daydreaming as I fell out of my chair. I went to the door and let in my kitten Tabby. Tabby was a 20th birthday present from my little cousin. She had sent Tabby to me all the way from my homeland. The black and grey stripped cat slinked into the room, and rubbed against my legs, unaware that she may have given me a concussion.

"God, Tabs, you really have to learn to knock!"

"Meow!"

"Oh, well, anyway, guess what... We're moving!"

"Meow?"

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Ok, so do you like it? Remember to R&R! I've got more prepared, so see you on chapter 2!**


	2. Welcome To Strangetown

**A/n: This is an edited version. I'm re-writing and re-uploading the whole story, mainly since the quality of my writing has improved since i originally wrote this one, and currently, i look at the begnings of my story with much contempt. **

**Disclaimer: I own everything but the concept, and Harvest Moon characters who may pop-up.**

Chapter 2 – Welcome to Strange Town

The bus continued to travel down the shaded road. Trees were all that could be seen for miles on end. It turned out that Heart-Side Valley is in my home state of South Australia, on a coastal peninsula and about a three hour bus ride from the main city, Adelaide. Three hours seemed like nothing after the fifteen hour plane trip. I sat there with all my portable possessions, my favourite clothes, my photos, and other things I couldn't bear to leave behind or sell. Tabby slept in her travel-cage next to me. After hours of unexpected woodland and never-ending greenery, the bus finally stoped.

"Oak Town, Heart Side Valley, last stop for the day" the fat bus driver called out.

I looked out the window and see a large archway with "_Oak Town_" inscribed into an old wooden sign. I got up, gathered together my things and Tabby, and headed towards the exit.

"Thank you" I said to the bus driver

"Your welcome, young lady" he replied

I climbed out the bus, and turned towards the arch. As I watched the bus slowly drive back down the beaten track from which it came, I heard a polite coughing next to me. I turned and jumped in surprise to see a short little man, about four foot, with an oversized red top-hat and a ridiculous moustache, which reminded me of a squirrel's tail, standing right next to me.

"Um, can I help you?" I asked tentatively

"Hello and welcome to Oak Town" he said in a somewhat rehearsed way. "You must be Miss Elva"

"Um, yes, call me Simone"

"Simone is it? Excellent, I'm Mayor Timothy," he said, almost jumping in excitement

"Oh, nice to meet you" _talk about excentric_

"Ok, now why don't I take you to your farm?"

_Huh?_ "Did you say farm?"

"Well, of course I said farm"

"The ad didn't say anything about a farm"

"Oh, well, I thought you knew. If you don't think you are up to it, then…"

"No, that's ok; I was looking for a change anyway. What's more different from a call-center, than a farm?"

_Oh well, was planing to work with animals anyway, this can't be so bad_.

"Very good, Lets go, off to your new life!" he said with enthusiasm.

* * *

He led me through the archway and down the main street past an ashen brick building. Further down the road, we come to what looked like an old mine field from World War One.

"My God…is this the farm?!"

"Yes, I'm afraid so"

"W-what happened to it?!"

I was almost afraid to know. It looked like it had been hit by 5 consecutive atomic bombs, then sold to the Satan's delinquent son and trashed by hordes of evil sadistic minions of the Grim Reaper. Yes, it was that bad.

"Well, the previous owner, Old Man Gerald, died 5 years ago and no-one was prepared to take over his old farm, so it, well, fell into, more or less, ruin!"

_Gerald you say…nah, it must be a coincidence_.

"And how am I supposed to fix up this hell-hole?" I asked, looking at the rotting buildings and impassable field, which reminded me of a thick tree-less jungle with millions of stones, boulders, sticks and tree stumps littering every single square inch. Not to mention the mass of weeds that grew in every crack of land. The rest of the farm didn't look so good either. It seemed as if it would've been easier to knock everything down, burn the remains and build over it.

"Well, we will have to wait and see. The villagers and I have agreed to give you 3 years to restore this farm to its former glory. In that time, we would like you to also try and make an effort making friends with the villagers."

"Ok, I guess I can do that" I said, thinking that there was something he wasn't telling me

"Also, we would like it if you perhaps considered meeting one of the fine young bachelors here"

"Huh?"_ What did he just say?_

"Well, you see here in Oak Town we have several very fine young men, and perhaps you would like to meet them,"

_Is he suggesting what I think he is suggesting? _

"O-o-ok, what do you want me to…?"

"Don't worry, all I ask is that you meet them and …"

_Yes, I believe he is suggesting what I think he is suggesting_.

"Look pal…"

"Ooh" he said, looking as if he had realised something, "Well, if men aren't your taste…"

_Great now he thinks I'm a lesbian, so much for good first impression_

"What, NO, don't worry, I'm straight, it's just, I don't think it's very appropriate…"

"Well, alrighty then." He says suddenly, clearly trying to fix this weird request, "Ok. Let me _just say_ it would be _nice_ if you met the _young_, _single_ _men_ here"

_I wonder if he was trying to be subtle with the whole 'set me up with a desperate country boy' scheme._

I raised my right eye brow, trying to see if he had actually thought about what he had just said.

A blush and an embarrassed look told me that he then realised what he was asking.

"You don't have to, but it would certainly be towards your benefit if you did…you know..."

_Ok, now, change the subject_

"And what happens if I don't fix up…this…?" I gestured to the pit of death and agony that was my field.

"Then you lose the farm."

"Oh" _I knew there was a catch_

"And remember you have to at least attempt to make friends here and…well…what I mentioned before"

"Yea, that" _talk about awkward _

"Don't worry, that's not obligatory, but it will help you keep the farm, I mean, the villagers are certainly not going to kick one of their own out of town"

"Oh, ok, good point" I let out a sigh of relief_ Not obligatory. What kind of strange weirdo place is this anyway?_

"No pressure, of course"

_Yeah right_, "Ok then,"

_God, these guys _must_ be desperate if the Mayor is trying to set up a dating service. Oh well, maybe there is a decent guy here, God knows I couldn't find one in the city. _

"So, Simone, that is all I have to say. Why don't you unpack and settle into your new home. You can start your work tomorrow"

_Yay!_ I thought sarcastically "Alright"

"Now, do you have a name in mind for your new farm?"

"Um…….how about….Haven?"

"You mean heaven"

"No, I mean haven, as in, one day, I hope to turn the place into a haven of peace"

At this point, Major Timothy exploded in a fit of laughter. I sighed patiently for a few minutes, waiting for him to stop. Eventually, he did.

"Ah, very good," he wiped away a tear, "Haven Farm it is"

"Yeah, heh" _He is too weird_

"Very good, well, I have to go now and attend to some important business, so, good bye Simone, and good luck!"

"Thanks Mayor" I waved him good-bye, not at all sad to see him finally leave. "Well, looks like I have some serious work to do."

I went into the decaying ruins of a house near the entrance.

"At least it seems liveable" I said to myself

It was a small wooden house. There was a comfy looking bed next to a window in the surprisingly undamaged walls. Some empty crates and an old chest of draws were opposite the bed next to the wall. A relatively new television set was on the back wall, with a small round table and chair in the middle of the room. I put my luggage on the floor next to the table. Putting Tabby's cage on my bed, I let her out. She jumped out the cage and onto the wooden floor.

"Meeooow" she said in disgust.

"I know, it's not the best of accommodations, but it will do for now. Maybe we can re-build later"

"Meow" she said, as if she was saying, '_Why wait, lets just rebuild now! You do have that 3 million anyway_'

"Yes, I know, but I'd like to make a fresh start here."

"Meow" "_What about the _money!"

"I'll see how we go at first, and keep it for later"

"When?"

"I dunno, later. We'll see how things play out. Ok?"

"Fine" she said as she shook her head in dismay.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:00pm already.

"Wow, that bus ride must have taken longer than I thought"

I turned on the TV and flicked though a couple of channels before finding the weather channel. A bright perky brunette appeared on the screen.

"It will be a warm and sunny spring day tomorrow, so remember to go outside and soak in the sunshine!"

"Perfect for starting a farm" I sighed. _Surely abandonment and letting nature take its course couldn't have damaged it as bad as it is now_.

"Maybe nature is mourning over the death of this Gerald" I said sarcastically to myself. Only later would I realise how true my off-handed comment would turn out to be.

I flicked over the channels and discovered a nice little soap opera. I half watched it as I unpacked my things and put out food and water for Tabs. Once the show was over, I decided to 'hit the hay'. The last thing I saw before I slept is a ray of hope that perhaps this new life would get better.

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**I didn't change too much in this one, but there will be more drastic changes in future chapters. Reviews aren't required, but greatly appreciated.**

**Have an Awesome day!**

**Tiger-Cub684**


	3. Meet and Greet

**A/N: This is the redone Chapter 3. the most significant change is that i've combined this with the old chapter 4 so there is less intro chapters to sort through before the real action. A warning, this is a primarily Meet and Greet chapter, so if you want, you can simply skip to the next one if you're looking for something more interesting.**

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Chapter 3 – Meet and Greet part 1

The next morning, I woke up in a panic. It was a few minutes before I remembered what happened the previous day, and realised that I wasn't kidnapped by mutant ninja zombies, and was in fact, in my new home.

Tabby jumped on my bed, "_Come on, it's 6:00, you'd better get up and start fixing this bomb crater so we can actually live in it_"

"Alright, alright"

I got up and pulled on some clothes; a worn pair of jeans and an old green designer shirt that I had bought on sale once during fashion week, and my old faithful flat knee-high faux leather boots that had taken me though so many break-ups, job interviews and plastic parties in New York. I dug around in my new drawers and found my little mirror After tying my long blonde hair into a neat ponytail, with my layered fringe framing my face as always, I scrounged around until I found the apple I didn't eat on the bus yesterday, and decided that I would need to go shopping today if I wanted to eat later.

Walking outside, I stepped into the early morning sunlight. _Geeze_ _it's cold_. Strolling down the path to the village, I couldn't help but notice that the farm looked the slightest bit less horrible than yesterday. I could have sworn that the apple tree in the corner was dead before. _Oh well, perhaps it was a trick of the light, or maybe I wasn't paying enough attention yesterday as I was begging the mayor for an explanation_.

I soon spotted the ashen brick building from yesterday, with smoke billowing from the roof, just across the road from my farm. I went inside to find a middle-aged man hammering away at a horseshoe. _I believe this is the blacksmith_. Behind the man was a large furnace and a smelting oven, along with various blacksmith tools on the shelves and holders along the walls.

"Hello?" I tried to say, over the noise,

"Ah, hello there lassie," he said with Scottish accent, looking up from his work, "Can I help ye?"

"Um, I think so; I'm Simone, the new farmer,"

"It's nice to meet ye, Simone, I'm Angus the blacksmith" Angus said, giving me a polite nod.

"Nice to meet you too"

A red-headed boy, only a few years older than me walked through the door behind Angus.

"What should I do with these old horse shoes?" he asked, holding a large box.

"Put them down for now Sam, come meet the new farmer" Angus replied

"Hi, I'm Sam" he said happily, his bright blue eyes showing his youth

"I'm Simone"

"You're pretty brave to take on the farm. It hasn't been in use since old man Gerald passed away 5 years ago" he said with an accent similar to his uncle's.

"Well, I reckon I can restore it to its former glory" I said, proudly

"Good luck with that" he said, giving me a wink.

"So, do ye need any help Simone?" asked Angus.

"Um, not yet"

"Ok then"

"Um, Uncle, do ye think that we could give Simone here a kind of 'Welcome to the village' present?" said Sam

"What do ye have in mind" asked Angus

"Well, how about this upgraded axe?" suggested Sam, pulling a shiny new axe from seemingly no-where

"Good idea Sam, here you go Simone" and Angus handed me the shiny axe,

_Ooooohhhh, shiny!!_

"Wow, thanks very much" I said, holding my new tool, as if it was _The One Ring of Power_.

"With this axe, you will be able to chop large tree stumps to collect wood, which can be used in fencing, for a fire or for improving your house." said Sam

"Cool!" _I have to chop wood?_

"Now, I will be taking the old axe from your tool shed, since you won't need it anymore" said Angus

"Ok" _Seems fair_

"If you want any more new tools later, come here and Same and I will sort ye out." he said kindly.

"Thanks." I replied. "Ok, well, I'd better get going, I have some more exploring I was going to do today"

"Bye then" said Angus

"See ya" said Sam

"Bye" I called out before I walked out the door and back onto the sunny street.

_What nice people. That Sam doesn't seem too bad either_. I smiled at that last thought.

* * *

I walked past a beautiful garden, full of the first flowers for the spring, before approaching a clean white-rendered building. I saw it was a house. The name on the letter box said '_Mayor'_.

_I guess this is the mayors' house_.

I walked on past, not wanting to deal with the eccentric, vertically-challenged. man again. The next building I saw had a smaller structure attached and a vineyard.

"I'm assuming that this is a winery." I said, once again, to myself,

Stepping inside, I was greeted by a rich fruity smell. I looked around the room and saw a young brunette woman bending over a sink. The creak the of old door made her look up.

"Um, hello" I said

"Ah, hello dear," said a wonderfully melodical voice, "You must be the new farmer everyone is talking about"

"Yeah, I'm Simone." I said, stepping forward into the house.

"What a nice name. My name is Megan, my husband and I run the winery. So Simone, how do you like Oak Town?"

_Your mayor is high on something _"Oh, I like it a lot, it's very…err…happy."

"Oh, good, I'm glad you like it here"

Megan turned back the sink and picked up a wet baby.

"Oh, is that yours?" I asked

"Yes she is, Simone, this is Joy!" She said, wrapping the clean infant in a pink blanket,

"Aww, she's soooo cute!"

"I know, she is only 18 months old, would you like to hold her?"

"Sure," I said.

Megan handed me Joy. As I held her up to get a better look, Megan reached for the glass of red wine on the table that I just noticed. _So that's the smell_.

"Wow, that wine smells so good!" I said

"Thank you, Jerry and I make all the towns' wine,"

"It must be hard work,"  
"Not as hard as your job will be," she replied with a smile, "But it is worth it. The people here say it's the best wine in the country."

"I don't doubt that!"

Just then the back door opened, and in walked a young man with blue overalls and an Akubra, the hat traditionally worn by Aussie farmers and Crocodile Dundee alike.

"Hey Honey, who is this?" he asked in a voice as melodical as Megan's,

"Jerry, this is Simone, the new farmer" replied his wife

"Nice to meet you" I said, holding out my hand

"Nice to meet you too Simone, do you have a last name?" he said, shaking my hand,

"Elva, Simone Elva" I answered

"Oh, really?" say Jerry and Megan in unison, which ends up sounding like a duet.

"Err, yeah, really" I said, surprised at their question

The couple looked at each other, as if sending some kind of message. Then, as quickly as their gesture appeared, it was gone. They both looked at me with cheerful grins, but their eyes told me that there was something that they were not telling me. The baby in my arms wriggled and tried to tug at my hair, reminding me that I was still holding her.

"Well I'd better get going, lots more exploring to do" I said, getting suddenly nervous,

"Oh, ok, but you just remember to come to us if you ever need good wine, or just to talk, if you want. I'm sure Joy would love to have you around" said Megan, holding out her arms to take back her daughter,

"Thanks, I will" I said handing her Joy, "Well, bye then!"

"Bye Simone" said Megan and Jerry, again in unison, still grinning

I turned and walked out of the house, and back on the main street, walking to the next building. _How strange_ I thought to myself.

* * *

The next building I saw almost blinded me with its intensity. It was sterilised white with a big red cross on the wall. _I'm gonna guess…hospital_. Inside, I was again temporarily blinded but the brightness of all the white.

"Whoa!"

"Are you alright?" Asked a concerned female voice.

I opened my eyes to see a cheerful girl in her early twenties, with curly brown hair and wearing a nurse's uniform, which unfortunately reminded me of a stripper's costume.

"Yea, I'm alright, just temporally blinded by all the white. Perhaps you should think of redecorating?"

"Hahaha, good call, I did always think it was too white, but the doctor insisted. So how can I help you?"

"I'm Simone, the new farmer. I was just exploring the town, you know."

"Oh, alright then, I'm Aggie, the nurse. Why don't you come meet the doctor?"

"Ok then."

Aggie led me to the next room. It was an office with medical degree certificates filling up the back wall, along with a big book case filled with what looked like a bunch of boring medical books. A desk was littered with papers and open patient files. Behind the desk was a cute young man, clearly deep in thought about what he was reading.

"Doctor!" said Aggie, startling the doctor, so that he almost threw his files out the near-by open window.

"Oh Aggie, it's just you…"

"Doctor Stevens, we have the new farmer here to meet you"

"Oh, alright, you must be Simone, Timothy came around last night singing your praises" remarked Dr Stevens

"Oh he did, did he?"

"Yes, call me Blake, or Doctor, or Dr Stevens, either way. So, how are you finding the village?"

"Surprising" I replied

"Really, well, I've heard worse comments, so can I help you?"

"Nah, I was just looking around, you know, on a 'meet and greet' kinda mission"

"Well, be sure to come here whenever you don't feel one-hundred percent," said Aggie, reminding me of one of those TV ads for vitamins,

"I will certainly keep that in mind, but, have one question before I go"

"Ok, shoot"

"What does this town use to treat sick animals?"

"The Animal Farm sells a medicine which cures most illnesses, but when that doesn't work, I usually do what I can, but I can't say it's very easy, I'm a people doctor, not an animal doctor," said Blake

"Well, I'm actually fully qualified to be a vet, perhaps I could help with these problems."

"What good fortune. Next time an animal falls sick it looks like you're the person to see" said Blake, sounding genuinely impressed

"Ok then. Well; it was nice meeting you Aggie, and you Dr Stevens. But I should be going now; I still haven't met half the people in this town yet"

"Then you'd better get going, bye Simone, it was nice to meet you too"

"Yes, nice meeting you" said Aggie

I left the hospital with much more confidence in the town people's sanity than when I came.

_Looks like I will get to be a vet after all._ _That Blake is much cuter than any doctor I've ever seen, maybe all the cute doctors flee to small country hospitals to escape the masses of hormone driven girls. Aggie seems nice too. It's a shame her outfit makes her looks like a porn star. Perhaps she should re-think her wardrobe. _

* * *

My next stop was tall and tower-like in appearance. _Ooooh, the remains of an 18__th__ century castle. I didn't even know we had castles in Australia. Perhaps the Indigenous people were more advanced than the British gave them credit for_.

Inside the tower, I instantly recognised it as one of my favourite childhood places; a library. I had always been a keen reader. Who am I kidding? I'm a book worm. When I was younger, and had more free time, I would read _so_ _many_ books. My favourite books always involved fantasy, with magic, and a dragon thrown in for good measure, with only a touch of romance on the side. Too much romance and it's a stupid sappy love story, not enough romance and the book feels…incomplete. When I had no friends, my books were my friends, as cheesy as it may sound. I walked into that library with a look of complete awe on my face.

_Cough_

I looked around to see a young girl, about my age, with long black hair and a pair of reading glasses balanced on her small nose.

"Can I help you?" she asked

"I think so, I'm Simone…"

"Oh, the new farmer!" she said excitedly

"Yes, that's me"

"I'm Tabitha. My mum and I run this library together"

"Nice. I was just admiring how cool it is, it's like a huge old tower"

"Well, it is a tower, but there was never a castle attached" Tabitha said, as if she had read my mind

"So…do you have any fantasy books?" I asked with a smile

"Do we have any fantasy books?" she repeated, as if I had asked the most obvious question in the world, "Right this way!"

After climbing many stairs up in the spiralling building, we eventually arrived at a section filled with books from some of my favourite authors. We stood there chatting about our favourite books and looking for some good reads when a middle-aged woman with black hair, like her daughter's, walked into the room.

"Oh, hello dear" she greeted me,

"Mum, this is Simone, the one Timothy told us about"

"Oh, it's nice to meet you Simone; I'm Catharine, Tabitha's mother"

"It's great to meet you" I said, shaking her extended hand, "I'm a bit of a book worm, Tabitha was just showing me around"

"Wonderful, but I don't suppose you've have much farming experience before?"

"Not exactly"  
"Then, why don't I show you some books that can help you?"

"Thank you, lead the way."

Catharine led me and Tabitha up more stairs until we came to a rather dusty shelf.

"These are all our books of farming. You are welcome to come here and read them any time, or borrow them if you think you need to."

"Ok, thanks, perhaps I should get a few now, on how to start off"

"Well I think you find these books helpful" and Catharine reached up and pulled down 3 large books.

"The first one, here," she said holding up a book with a black leather cover and the title _'Farming for Beginners'_ written in gold lettering, "… is rather useful. It has all you need to know about starting a farm. This next one…" holding up a green leather-bound book with the title '_It's not Fauna, its Flora: a Complete Guide to Plants and Crops of Heart-Side Valley_', "…will tell you everything you need to know about planting crops and other useful things,"

"How convenient" I commented

"And this last book…" Catharine held up a blue leather-bound book, called '_Fur, Feathers and Scales: Your Complete Guide to Animal Farming'_, "…it contains all you will need to know about animal farming, including a section on fishing, which may be useful later."

Catharine handed me the books. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, I was hoping to get a good fiction book for some light reading,"

"Ok then Tabitha, go with Simone to get a book, and remember to write books she's borrowing in the register, bye Simone"

"Bye Catharine, nice meeting you,"

"Nice meeting you too"

And Catharine walked back out of the room.

"Ok, Simone," said Tabitha "Let's go back to the fantasy section!"

After choosing a good book, _Eragon_, Tabitha took me back down stairs to 'complete the transaction'. She signed me up as a library member (free of course) and I got a library card. She wrote down the names of the four books I was borrowing, and I left, but not before she reminded me to return the books in two weeks time.

With the four books joining my new Axe in my bag, I noticed how heavy it became.

_Perhaps I should get a bigger bag or something_.

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**Again, this was a Meet and Greet chapter (the title was not lying). Reviews are not required, but always appreciated, especially if you're got this on alert, as feedback is highly valuble. **

**Have an awesome day**

**Tiger-Cub684**


	4. Cookies, Shopping and Puppies

**_A/n: Chapter 4, wherein there is the last of the intros and some interesting conversations._**

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Chapter 4 – Cookies, Shopping and Puppies

After wandering the streets a little more, I stumbled upon a large and very impressive gothic style church. Such a striking building seemed out of place in a small town. Made of grey stone blocks, it had spires, gargoyles and even a bell tower. I walked up to the large wooden doors but they were locked. I would have to leave investigating for another day. Seeing the church made me wonder, for the first time, what kind of religion this town followed. Sure, most of the country was Christian to some degree, although it was so multicultural, just about every other possible religion had a significant place too. The style of church suggested a Christian tradition, but gothic churches were only usually built during the middle ages, back in Europe, and certainly not in Australia, not true gothic ones anyway. I puzzled over this for a few moments before my train of thought was interrupted by distant footsteps.

I hadn't seen many people out on the streets yet, but it was only 10 o'clock in the morning. I turned to see who it was; walking from the direction where I had come.

It was a guy, around my age, tall with messy brown hair and an olive-tan complexion. He wore baggy jeans and navy blue singlet. His arms were curved nicely with muscles and I could even see a six-pack hinted from under the singlet. He walked passed, not seeming to even notice me. I was temporality stunned. He was very. _very_ attractive. I felt my cheeks heat up. Before I could find my voice and call out to him, he turned the corner and vanished. It took me a few moments to stop replaying the event in my head and come back to reality. I sighed. I had been to many places in my lifetime, travelling all though Europe, Asia and North America, and out of all those places, no guy has ever had such an effect on me as that nameless stranger had at that moment. I knew that I _had_ to have him.

Taking a deep breath, I left the church and set about continuing my exploration of the rest of the town. The main road took me past more suburban houses. The path split off in one direction, next to a large wooden sign that indicated it lead to the Town Square. It didn't sound too interesting at the moment, so I continued strolling down the main road, heavy books in hand and my stomach indicating that it would soon be time for lunch.

Around the corner, I found the town's only shop, the street sign naming it 'Smith's General Emporium', which was just a fancy way of saying, 'shop selling general good owned by a guy called Smith.', that was my interpretation of it at least. I opened the glass door and walked into the cool building, to be immediately greeted by youthful woman with short blonde hair and hazel eyes. She greeted me warmly from behind the cashier, "Hey stranger, how can I help you?"

I gazed all around the room, amazed at the range of things that were on sale. I saw just about everything you would imagine, all in one small and convenient store.

"Hi, I'm Simone, the new farmer." I greeted, coming up to the counter.

"Mel, nice to meet you. And yes, we do have everything. But of you do think of something we don't have, we have the numbers and order forms to get it shipped in."

"That's impressive. Are you smith?"

"Melanie Smith, but the Smith on the sign outside is my dad, Dave. He's out the back counting boxes or something."

I nodded, noticing how much she reminded me of Jessica Simpson in the movie _Dukes of Hazard_, with her denim shorts and tank top, albeit less slutty.

"You ever seen Dukes of Hazard?" I asked

"The movie? no, I never got around to it. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." I said quickly.

Suddenly, the back door opened and a middle-aged man with greying hair stumbled in, carrying a large box. He set the box down on the bench.

"Hey Dad, this is Simone, she's the new farmer." Mel introduced.

"Oh, hello, so you're Simone then?" he asked, wiping his dusty hands on his pants.

"Yeah, I was lat time I checked, anyway," I replied lamely, wincing at the lameness of my joke.

"Haha, Wonderful, I'm Dave," he laughed.

"Hey dear, do you mind going to the Winery and delivering their groceries?" asked another voice from the back room. A blonde woman in her late thirties then joined us in the store.

"Oh, I see we have a customer" she commented

"Actually dear, this is Simone, the new farmer" corrected David

"Oh, hi, I'm Julie, co-owner of the General Store. Welcome to Oak Town." She said

"So, Simone, what brings you to our store?" asked Mel

"Oh yeah, I wanted to know if you have anything I might need for starting a farm" I said, realising that perhaps these people could help me out a bit.

"Well then, you will defiantly need seeds. Once you clear your field, you can till the soil and plant seeds to grow crops. growing crops is an excellent way to earn income, unless you want to live off wild berries and mushrooms." said Julie, clearly trying to persuade me to buy seeds.

"Ok then, seeds for crops; that would be a good first start." I commented, deciding to make Julie happy. I had only met her, after all.

"Yes indeed. We also sell food, clothes, knick-knacks and anything else you could need, and if we don't have what you need, you can order it from the city over the phone." said Julie

"I already told her that." Mel said, rolling her eyes.

Julie ignored her daughter, as if she hadn't said anything.

I broke the awkward silence. "Great. Do you have some sort of large bag I could use to carry stuff in?" I asked, getting straight to the point. I'd spend a good deal of my day with polite conversation and pleasantries.

"How about…a rucksack? They're all the rage with farmers there days." Suggested Julie,

"Sounds good," _though_ _I doubt farmers would get too excited over a bag_.

"We have this one here, just got it in yesterday, absolutely amazing, made of this revolutionary material, and can hold up to 100 kilograms worth of items, while still only light as a feather. And the interior can stretch to amazing lengths, while the bag as a whole will still remain the size you see now. Amazing stuff."

I looked at her sceptically. "That doesn't seem physically possible."

"I didn't think so either, until – "

"Mum, please don't do this again" Mel pleaded.

Julie didn't hear her and proceeded to pull a box of bowling balls out from behind the counter and place all twelve in the bag, one by one. When she had finished, she looked me in the eye. "Go on, try to lift it."

I looked at her as if to say _you can't be serious_ "That's ok, I'll take your word for it."

"No, go on, lift it." she said, this time, more forcefully.

"Seriously, that's fine. I get it, it's a great bag. I'll take it."

"Just lift the goddamn bag!" she snapped.

I hesitated, but lifted it anyway. I expected it to be as heavy as anything, but to my surprise, it was indeed as light as a feather.

"See, didn't I tell you it was amazing. And it's only 500."

I blinked at her. 500 for a _bag_? Even it could hold an amazing amount of weight, 500 was _a lot_ of money.

"Would you like anything else or just the bag?" she asked me, in an unnecessarily cheerful way that made me want to slap her.

I shook my head. I might as well get the bag. I didn't trust Julie to not be one of those people who stalks you and ends up sneaking into your room at night and stabbing you thirty seven times in the back.

"That's a lot of holes…" I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I mean, I was interested in getting some seeds, you know, to grow vegetables and such." I said quickly.

"I'll take over, thank you mum." Mel interjected, stepping in front of her hyperactive mother. She turned to me, "Sorry, she's a bit crazy when she's off her meds." she said to me quietly.

"Oh," I replied

She cleared her throat. "Ok, these Turnip seeds here," Mel said, pointing to the white bags, "They cost 120 G each and will grow 9 turnips, in about four days, and then will sell for 60 G each, giving you fast profit"

My jaw dropped when I heard the prices, while Mel continued to run through the different bags, as if 120 G bags of turnip seeds were as common as muddy puddles.

"And these potato seeds,"Mel continued, now gesturing to the brown bags, "They cost 150 G, grow in 6 days and sell for about 80 G each

"_And _these bags, "said Mel, now pointing to the green bags, "have grass seeds, they're 600 G. They grow in about 5 days, without watering, and can be cut into fodder to feed your animals, a definite must if you want to keep cattle, sheep, etc"

At this point, I was speechless. This was highway robbery!

"I'll take it that you'll want one of each, and I'll throw in a free bag of grass, since you're new, and all." Mel added after seeing my expression.

I raised an eyebrow. "Thanks." I mumbled.

We moved to the cash register. "Ok, so that's a large rucksack, two turnips, two potatoes a grass bag, not counting the free one, that's… 1740 G"

I looked into my wallet and saw that I had only 100 G with me. "You guys take visa?" I asked, flashing my credit card.

Mel smiled, "Of course."

I stepped out from the shop, my wallet considerably lighter (not that I could feel it just yet, but I would when the next credit card statements come in). Julie, Dave and Mel had been nice, (if a bit crazy in Julie's case), so I decided to not completely judge them by their ridiculously high prices (_These had better be some damn good vegetables!_). I turned towards the last unexplored building on the street. It turned out to be the Inn. Inside the cosy, rustic styled structure, I discovered a large dining room, filled with wooden tables and chairs, with a bar and counter on the other side of the room. A staircase was on the far left of the room, suggested a second story. (The buildings' hight and second set of windows also supported my theory) Possibly where the guest rooms were. Behind the cash register and reading a newspaper was a tall, muscular man, in his late-forties with brown, greying, hair.

"Hi" I said, startling him from his reading,

"Oh, hello, you must be Simone," he said, expectantly, "I expected you to pop in sooner or later."

"And I thought I'd be unknown out here." I replied with a smile.

He chuckled, "Unknown? Out here, dear, a new farmer is as big as the pyramids, everyone knows about it…or rather, you. I'm Mike, by the way. My wife Crystal and I run this Inn. I manage the counter, she cooks, and my eldest son Tom works in the Bar."

"So it's a family affair I see," I nodded all knowingly.

"Yes indeed. Our daughter Cassandra helps my wife with the cooking, and does the cleaning. My other son James does odd jobs; he works where he is needed."

"Bit of an all-rounder then?"

"I guess you could say that," he replied, chuckling again.

A young girl with odd pink hair, walked in carrying a plate of cookies.

"Hi" she said cheerfully, "I'm Cass."

"Simone," I said in reply.

"Here Dad" Cass said, as she put down the plate of cookies, "So, Simone, you're the new farm girl, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's me"

"Cool, I always wanted to take on a big challenge like that, but dad said I had to help out here instead."

"Here Simone, have a cookie" said Mike.

"Thanks"

I munched on my cookie, the only food I'd had all day, other than my breakfast apple. Checking the time, I saw that it was 11:30 am already. I wasn't sure if I was surprised because I was expecting it to be later or earlier. Just then two young men, one finely chiselled, with blonde hair, and the other, tall with sandy, light brown hair, both entered the large dinning hall.

"James, Tom, Come meet Simone!" ordered Cass

"The new farmer right?" asked James

"You bet!"

"Nice, I'm James by the way, and this quiet bloke is my brother Tom,"

"Hey" I said to Tom, in my usual over-the-top cheerful way. Back in the day, I couldn't say a word without my voice jumping up octaves, especially when I was frustrated.

He gave me a nod in acknowledgement. _He's the first person I've met in this town who doesn't talk non-stop_. Just then, as if it was a Disney movie, a tall woman with strawberry blonde hair then joined the group, completing the happy picture before me.

"Hello, you must be that Simone who everyone has been talking about," she said

"Unless there's anyone else called Simone in this town, I'm her." I replied, almost sarcastically.

"Wonderful. I'm Crystal. I see you've met everyone already. Wonderful." She said, her voice light and fluffy, like a marshmallow.

"Hey, Simone, do you like shopping?" Cass asked me.

"Sure, I love shopping." I replied. I mean come on, what girl _doesn't_ like shopping, right?

"Awesome, I've been looking for a shopping buddy for a while. The next town over has this huge new mall and I've been _dying_ to check it out. We just _have_ to go sometime."

"Sure, sounds great." I replied, "Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I'd better run. I still got a few more places to see before I get started demolishing, I mean, fixing my field." I said. I got a few confused glances, so I smiled back in reassurance, so they knew that I knew what I was doing.

"Ok then, see you soon," said Cass

"Bye" said Mike

"Gook luck with the farm" said Crystal

"Bye then" said James, giving me a supportive grin,

Tom, once again, nodded. _I really got to get through to that guy_.

* * *

Stepping out onto the street, I noticed how hungry I was. Looking at my watch, I realised that it was lunch time. _No wonder I am so hungry_. My stomach growled in agreement.

Right across the street, I noticed a small wooden cabin, right on the fringe of the forest. I discovered it was locked. The sign on the side said:

**Benny's Wood Cutting and Carpentry**

**Open every day, 10am to 5pm, except Sundays, Mondays, and festival days.**

_Ah, closed Mondays. That explains it._ I looked around and saw the last place left to visit. I did a 360 turn just to make sure.

_Yep, it is the last place left_. Walking away from the closed wood cutter, I headed towards a large property, right next to mine. The tall arch said:

**Animal Farm**

_Finally, the Animal Farm. I have a feeling that this will be one of my favourite places_. As soon as I walked under the arch, my ears were assaulted by the sounds of many animals. I could hear cows mooing in the pastures, pigs grunting in the pig sty, and most of all, chickens clucking away in the yard. Scanning the area, I spotted a girl, once again my age, with her long brown hair in two pigtails.

"Hi," I greeted her,

"Hey, you're Simone, right? I'm Jess," Jess said in an incredibly cheerful voice.

"Nice to meet you, so do you run this farm by yourself?"

"Nah, I only look after the chickens and the ducks. Bit of a bird girl myself. My dad looks after the cattle and the pigs. Mum takes care of the sheep and goats, as well as dealing with customers. And my brother Josh is in charge of the horses."

"Cool, now I know who to see for what."

"So, why don't I show you around and meet my family, I know that they have been dying to meet the new farmer."

"Ok, let's go!"

I knew instantly when I met Jess that we would be good friends. We just clicked. It was one of those things that don't need any explanation, I just knew.

We came to a large barn. Upon entering we were greeted by a tall man, mid-forties, with light brown hair.

"Hey dad, this is Simone." Jess introduced me.

"Hello Simone, call me Paul." He said

"Nice to meet you Paul,"

"My wife should be in the field with the sheep, why don't you take Simone there, Jess,"

"Ok, come on Simone,"

And Jess led me onto the vast field to meet her mother. On the field was a large flock of sheep, with a tall brunette in an outfit, which reminded me of "Little Bo Peep", the nursery rhyme, with her long pale-blue dress, a bonnet and a Sheppard's staff with a pale –blue bow tied around it. A black and white sheep dog bounced happily around her feet.

"Hey, Mum!" called out Jess, "This is Simone!"

"Oh, hello, it's a pleasure to meet you Simone" said Jess's mother, as we approached her. "I'm Brianna, but you can just call me Bri."

"Ok,"

"So, Simone, is there anything you need to know about farming animals, or taking care of animals, or anything along those lines?"

"Well, actually, I already know quite a lot about farm animals. I worked 6 months in a country Vet, and I treated all kinds' farm and wild animals; cows, sheep, pigs, goats, geese, kangaroos, wedge-tailed eagles, wombats, ducks…"

"Ok, I get the picture" said Bri, looking a little annoyed that she didn't need to teach me anything, but at the same time, happy that the new farmer knew what she was talking about.

"Yea, so I reckon that this farming thing shouldn't be so hard, well, the animal part anyway. But if I do need any help, I'll be sure to come here."

"Oh good! Well now, Jess, why don't you introduce Simone to your brother. He might be of some assistance to you Simone. "She said, with a suspicious wink.

"Ok, Simone let's go!"

Jess, once again, led me to another field, next to the Sheep one. As we approached a strange figure in the middle of the paddock, I couldn't help but notice what a strange figure it was. It was a brown mare, with an extra pair of legs coming out from the other side.

_What a weird horse, it has an extra pair of legs! Wait a minute, there must be someone standing on the other side. A horse with 6 legs, I must be high or something_.

Suddenly, and head appeared above the horses back. My hearts skipped a beat when I saw who it was. It was the hot stranger I saw before in the street. He had light brown hair, like Jess, and he had the nicest brown eyes I'd ever seen. He smiled as we approached.

"Hey Josh, this is our new neighbour Simone!"

"Oh right, the farmer," he said, and then turned to look at me, "Hi, I'm Josh, Jess's twin. It's nice to meet you Simone"

"Same here" I said, using all my efforts not to blush.

"So, Simone…" he started, "Do you have a dog?"

"Ah, no, but I have a cat."

"Oh, then…" he looked a little disappointed

"What is it?" I asked, not wanting to make his sad.

"It's just that, our sheep dog, Sheila, had puppies a few months ago, and we've managed to find homes for them all but one, and I was going to ask if you wanted it, but if you already have a cat…"

"I'd love a dog. I've always been a firm believer that cats and dogs can learn to live with each other, even become friends." I said, possibly a little too enthusiastically,

"Really?" his eyes brightened up, making me want to jump for joy,

"Yeah!"

"Ok, then why don't we take you to see the puppy?"

"Sounds great!"

He led me and Jess into a small, barn-like structure. Inside was an adult Border Collie and her pup.

"Oooo! Border Collies, I've always dreamed of having a border collie!" I exclaimed

"Well, you're in luck then," Josh commented

The little pup bounded up to me and tried to bite my jeans. I picked her up and gave her hug. She was extremely healthy; her bright, intelligent eyes shone like beacons of happiness.

"Aww, she's perfect!" I said, my new pup, licking my nose in affection.

"Great, what are you going to call her?" asked Jess

"Hmm……how…about…………..Kelly?"

"Sounds fine to me" said Josh, clearly happy with my decision.

"Yea, I like it!" said Jess

Suddenly, a head poked around the door behind us.

"Josh, Jess, Lunch is ready," said Bri, "Oh, Simone, are you giving a home to our last puppy?"

"Yea!" I said, so happy that I finally had a puppy of my own.

"Well then, why don't you join us for lunch?" Bri asked, happily

I looked first at Jess, and then at Josh, receiving encouraging glances both times.

"Ok then, if it isn't any trouble" I said, remembering how hungry I was.

"Of course it isn't"

Later, Paul, Bri, Jess, Josh and I were sitting, eating a mild curry in their dinning room. The conversation was simple, mainly about business, with the occasional question directed at me about my past life, my experiences and living in the city. During this conversation, the question of my surname was asked and my answer, once again, caused an awkward silence.

"Why does that happen when I tell people my last name? What is it about the name Elva that leaves you all so….odd?" I asked, desperate to get an explanation.

"The thing is...well. You know Old Man Gerald, the previous owner of Haven Farm?"

"Yea, so what?"

"Well, you see, his last name was also Elva"

"Really…you must be kidding!" I said, thinking that this coincidence is getting a little weird.

"No, were not, does this have any significance?"

"Yea, I did have a great uncle, Great Uncle Gerald. But he disappeared, like 30 years ago, on a cruise to Antarctica!"

"That's what Gerald said! There aren't many who remember how he first came to the village, but I know. He was washed ashore after a storm destroyed his ship!"

"That makes a lot of sense. What happened after that?"

"Well, Mayor Richard, Timothy's father, he offered Gerald the position as the local farmer, as the previous owner had left seeking adventure. The farm was very small back then, and in a state about half as bad as it is now. He worked very hard, and the farm became a thriving, successful property, better than anyone had ever remembered it being. He had every intention of working the farm for a few years, and then going home after Bob, the owner before him, came back. But in those three years, several things happened. For one, we got news that Bob had been eaten by crocodile in New Zealand. So, without Gerald, there would be no farmer. But also, Gerald fell in love,"

"Aww, that's much better than the assumption my family made of him being dead!"

"Yes. After his first year, Gerald and Claire got married."

_Wait a minute, "_If Gerald and Claire had gotten married, didn't they have any kids? Like, one who could've taken over the farm?"

"Well, they did have a son named Alex. But he caught a severe case of the flu when he was six years old and unfortunately died. Several years later, Claire died of distraught and heartbreak. Gerald lived on; the only thing that kept him alive was the fact that his farm and the town needed him. But five years ago, during the winter, Gerald developed a severe flu, much like his son. Being an old man, he wasn't strong enough to battle it, and consequently died a week later."

"Oh, that's so sad. But at least Grandma was right when she always believed that he was alive, except for the last three years of her life. Although she didn't really go on about it as much after that third-last winter. Perhaps she knew." I commented

"It is amazing that your grandma, whom I am assuming was his sister, could tell when he was alive, and when he wasn't!" exclaimed Bri

"Well, they were twins, so maybe that something to do with it." I suggested

"Makes sense, I can always tell when Jess is hurt and so on, and she can with me. Maybe twins _do_ have that kind of connection." Said Josh

"Yea, I think you're right." I said.

"There's one more part to this story," Paul interrupted, "Before Gerald died, he told me something. Gerald was like a father to me and he even taught me all about animal farming, so we were close. He said that it was his wish, and the wish of the land, for the farm to be taken over by a blood relative. He had mentioned his sister a few times, and that perhaps she had a family, with someone who could come and take over. The mayor tried on many occasions to contact you family, Simone, but we didn't have a phone back then, and it takes over a week to get a letter to the city. We never got a reply and guessed that perhaps no-one was interested, so the mayor started advertising in the newspaper. We've had about 12 wannabe farmers try their luck, but they all left after a week, saying that it was impossible. Each time, the state of the field got worse, until we couldn't even see the dirt!"

"You know, in the last thirty years, every member of my family has moved house at least once. Maybe that's why we never got your letters."

"That is a good explanation. The Mayor was very excited about you answering our ad. When he discovered your surname was Elva, he hoped that you might be a blood relative, the one sent to take over the farm. He didn't spread the word, in case Elva was a common name, and that you were not related, but now we know. I think there will be a celebration about this. But you will probably have a lot more pressure on you now to actually fix up the farm. If you fail, everyone will be very angry and upset."

"Oh, great, more pressure!" I said, sarcastically.

"Don't worry;" continued Paul, detecting my sarcasm, "There is a way you can check if you are meant to fix the farm. You should go to the Goddess Pond, in the forest behind your farm. If you throw in a flower as an offering, she may come out. You should ask her. She will know. And if you are meant to take over the farm, we will spread the word. There is no point in rasing the town's hopes if they turn out to be false. Until we know, our lips are sealed"

"Thank you Paul," I said, relieved that I wouldn't be burnt at the stake if it turned out that I couldn't fix the farm, "I will go to see this Goddess later. But first could you quickly explain the towns' Religion to me?"

"Sure!"

Paul went on to tell me about the towns' patron supernatural guardian, the Harvest Goddess.

A few hours later, when I noticed the sun moving further and further west, I decided that is was time to go home. Looking at my watch, I noticed that it was 4:00. I said my good bye's to Thomson's (which I found out was their surname) and quickly headed back to the General Store before it closed. After buying an adorable collar, some pet food, bowels, a bed, a leash, and a couple of toys for my new dog, Kelly and I walked home.

Tabby was a little annoyed that I had brought home a dog without consulting her first. She proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the night, until close to midnight, when she thought I was asleep, and curled up by my feet. Kelly went out like a light not long after I brought her home, oblivious of the fact that Tabby absolutely detested her. _It's a good thing that the old kennel is undamaged_, I thought, _but perhaps it could use a coat of paint. Tomorrow, I'd better start clearing the field_.

* * *

**Yay, and thats the newly re-written chapter 4. Sorry for the sueish last name. i couldn't think of anything else. **

**Reviews are most appreciated. **

**Have a nice day!**

**Tiger-Cub684**


	5. Learning My Destiny

_****_

A/n: chapter 5, wherein we meet the Harvest Goddess, and Josh comes 'round to help

* * *

Chapter 5 – Learning my Destiny

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of birds chirping at my windowsill. After getting up and making a quick breakfast for me and my pets, I went into my tool shed to get the tools I would need for the days work.

I then went about chopping up all the sticks, wood and tree stump, and then putting the pieces in the wood bin. About five hours later, I had cleared my field of all the wood. Angus had been right about the new axe; it had chopped the tree stumps in one swing! I replaced my axe with my hammer and then started smashing all the rocks.

It only took two hours to get rid of all the small and medium rocks, but no-matter how many times I hit the big rocks, they didn't even get a scratch. _Damn._ Thankfully, there were only five big rocks, and I realised that I could work around them until I upgraded my hammer. I looked at my watch and discovered that it was one o'clock in the afternoon already. _And I still have to see the Harvest Goddess today_. I decided that if I left in an hour, I would've done some serious work, and I would still have enough time to talk to the Goddess.

After an hour of weed killing (I discovered that cutting the weeds with the sickle made them magically disappear, as the rocks did with the hammer) I cleaned up a bit, and walked off into the green forest behind my farm. I followed a dirt path until I came to a wooden sign post indicating that the Goddess Pond was left, through some bushes. So, I veered off into the bushes and found myself in a large clearing with a big pond and a waterfall falling from the cliff above.

_Hmm, Paul said to throw in a flower_. I looked around and saw the there were flowers everywhere. I spotted my favourite, a purple Snapdragon. Picking the flower, I tossed it into the pond. I stood there thinking what a joke this all was. _Harvest Goddess, yeah right, what's next, flower fairies?_! Moments later there was a blinding flash and a beautiful, green haired woman appeared, adorned in a sparkling-green dress and decorated with flowers, floating on a fluffy cloud above the water.

"Hello Simone, I was expecting you" she said in soothing angelic voice.

"………so, you're the Harvest Goddess?" I was stunned.

"Yes dearie, of course I am" she replied, as if it was the sort of question she got asked all the time. On second thoughts, it probably was.

"Ok then, I was told that you would know…"

"If you're meant to take over your great uncles' farm? Yes Simone, you are. That is why you were able to do all that work on the field today."

"Really, how do you know? Wait a minute, how did you know that I was working on the field?"

"I'm a demi-Goddess; it's my job to know and to watch over the town."

"So, you've been spying on me?"

"No, of course not, it's not spying if you're working for the good of the villiage."

"Right… how do you know I'm the one to fix Gerald's farm?"

"It's your destiny."

"My destiny?"

"Yes"

"What else is in my destiny?"

"Well, I can't tell you all of it, but it is in your destiny to develop certain magical powers, and to save Oak Town from an unspeakable evil."

"What powers? What unspeakable evil?"

"All in good time, but if you want a clue, the fact that you can understand Tabby is the beginning."

"So, I will be able to speak to and understand more animals?"

"Your words, not mine"

"Cool. Are my powers the reason that I completed a five year university course in one year?"

"Pretty much."

"Wow, that's convenient" I replied.

"Yes, it's funtastical. Now it's getting late, so you'd better go soon, but remember to come to me if you have any problems, questions, or when your powers start developing more, ok, bye."

"Wait, just one thing!"

"What is it?"

"What happens if this 'Unspeakable Evil' comes before my powers have developed?"

"Don't worry, it won't come until you have all your powers, and you know how to use them. I know; I saw it in your future. Bye now!"

And the Goddess went back into her watery home before I could ask her how she saw my future.

I went home and spent some time playing with Tabby and Kelly, who were starting to get along, although Tabby was still annoyed that I had brought Kelly home without consulting her before hand. My third day in Oak Town did answer some questions, but it left me with even more questions then when I started.

I woke up suddenly to a loud crash. Panicking, I got up and noticed that Tabby and Kelly weren't in the house. Going outside, I was stunned at the scene before me. The sky was an evil death-like black and blood-red.

An overwhelming stench assaulted my senses; it was a sickening metallic smell, one that could only be the smell of death itself. There was a raging unnatural silence that turned my blood icy cold. I could feel my heart racing in fear. An overall feeling of dread came upon me, making me want to run back to my bed and hide under the covers. The farm was a bomb crater. Large chunks of land had been taken out and tossed aside, leaving deep holes scattered everywhere. The apple tree was twisted and deformed, as if some kind of cruel force had tortured it (if you can torture a tree). All the buildings were aflame. In fact, everything was on fire. I turned to see the still, motionless figures of my beloved pets, red staining them and the ground around them. In a panic, I ran out of my farm, but to an even worse sight.

As I ran down the path, I almost chocked to see the friendly Sam lying face down and unmoving. I went over to him, and nudged him, in an effort to wake him up. It soon became apparent that no amount of poking would awaken him from his eternal sleep. Tears streaming down my face, I stumbled further along the path. It wasn't long until I saw another victim. Cass, the pink-haired bar-maid was lying, violently mangled, on her side. I knelt down to check her breathing, although it was easy to guess I was too late. As I touched her shoulder, she suddenly rolled over onto her back. The look on her face sent a shiver down my spine; it was eerily calm.

I freaked out and ran further down the red stained path, but only to be further saddened. Lying in front of my feet were two more unfortunate people, James and Tom. Both wore unnatural looks of peace. It was incredibly sad. I felt more and more tears fall down my cheeks, as I chocked back a sob. My knees felt as if they would give way at any moment, but I pushed forward, determined to find an escape. But, instead, I found that the situation had progressed to a new level of disaster. The figure just a few feet before me was my new friend Jess.

I heard a petrified scream, and looked around for the scared individual, only to realise that it was me. Staggering away from the once bright, bouncy brunette, I stumbled upon a sight that broke my heart indefinitely. Josh Thomson, lay there on the blood stained ground, mangled, and soaked in blood and dead. With the eerie look of calm that was apparent in all of the victims I had seen. Fire and death was everywhere I turned. Tears continued to stream down my face at the sight at everyone dead. _Tabby, my best friend… Josh…dead…they're all dead! _It was then that I fell to the ground, and erupted in uncontrollable sobbing.

A maniacal laugh filled the air. It turned my blood cold. I turned to see a shadowy figure. In it's hand was a fiery blue dagger. I could see it flexing its claws. An insane laugh and a crazed look of satisfaction in its eyes told me that this was going to be the end.

Then suddenly, it threw the dagger. It was air-borne and headed straight for me. Time seemed to pass in slow motion. Every second it got closer. It was 10 centimetres away, then 9, then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. It was just about to hit me…

Suddenly I woke up in a pool of sweat. I looked out my window, to see the birds singing along to the most beautiful sunrise.

_Oh, it was only a dream_. I sighed in relief. _It felt so real. Thank god it wasn't real, and now everything is normal_.

I shuddered at my nightmare. It had been so horrifying to see everything dead. _Perhaps that was the 'Unspeakable Evil' I'm supposed to fight. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. I hope I get better powers than just speaking to animals. This magic better be good if I'm to defeat that monster._

By the time I got outside, the sun was already well in the sky. I had spent a while telling Tabby and Kelly about my nightmare, hoping that talking about it would make me feel better. It didn't. When I stepped outside, to begin the day's chores, my pets surprisingly followed me.

"Where are you guys going?"

"I was hoping to look around, _if_ you don't mind" remarked Tabby, as if I had asked an incredibly stupid question. _Ooh, the cat has attitude_!

"Sure, if you want to look around, be my guest." I said cautiously, not wanting to make her angrier, "Just try and not to kill any birds If you want to go hunting, maybe you can find some rats in the barn and chicken coop. We'll need to get rid of them anyway before we get any farm animals."

"More animals!" she protested

"Don't worry, they won't be pets, and I promise to consult you before I bring any home."

"Good" she replied, looking a just little happier at that last bit.

Tabby then strolled over to the, undoubtedly alive and thriving, apple tree. Images of the twisted tortured black version from my dream flashed momentarily, before everything returned to normal. It sent a shiver down my spine.

"Hey Simone?" asked Kelly, bring me back to earth

"What's up?"

"Um…what am I going to do?"

"You can come with me if you want"

"Where are we going?"

"No where yet, but if you want, you can come with me where ever I go, around town and such, like my travelling buddy."

"Cool" she said, getting really excited at the prospect of exploring the valley with me.

"Hey, are you Simone?" asked a voice from the gate.

I turned to see a tall burly man with huge bulging muscles come walking onto my farm.

"Yeah, can I help you?" I asked, wondering if he was a bodybuilder.

"I'm Greg, the shipper!"

"Oh, so you're Greg? I was wondering when you would come."

"Yea, about that, my brother Zack, who's the shipper in Mineral Town, came down with the flu and needed me to cover for him for a few days. But I'm back now."

"I can see that. So, what's the deal with this shipping?"

"It's very simple. Any crops, natural resources or anything else that you can sell, you put in that wooden box over there." He said pointing to the box next to my field, the one I just noticed was there. Funny how your mind works.

"I will come every day at five o'clock, in the afternoon, collect anything in there, and you will get your payment the next morning."

"Oh, ok, cool. What exactly can I sell?"

"Anything really. But incase that's too general, stick with stuff you can farm and things you find out in the forest, such as berries, herbs, anything edible, and anything in the mine. Jems sell for quite a bit 'round here."

"Can I ship rocks and weeds?"

"Err, are those edible?"

"Well, some animals eat small rocks, and I suppose you could eat weeds if you really wanted to…" I said sarcastically  
"No you can't ship rocks and weeds." He said, clearly not getting my sarcasm.

"Alrighty then, no weeds or rocks. Got it" I replied quickly,

"Great" he said, lightening up.

"Cool then, so I guess I will see you 'round." I said, trying to wrap things up.

"Yea, ok, just remember to put whatever you want to ship in the box by five, and also, I don't come on festival days or during storms"

"Ok…wait festivals?"

"Yea, they are like big celebrations that all the townsfolk take part in, with food and drinks. It's a real good time. Like on big communal party. A couple of times a season."

"Ok, when's the next one?" I said, the idea of a big party defiantly peaking my interest.

"Well…let's see…you missed the first one; that was the New Years Festival…um, the next one is the Goddess Flower Festival."

"The Goddess Flower festival?"

"Yes, the main event is all the girls dressing up in these pretty traditional dresses and doing the traditional Goddess dance. It's in the town square, and that's on the eighth of spring, so in a few days time."

"Do _I_ have to dress up and dance?"

"I don't know, you'll have to check with Julie on that one, she organises all the dancing."

"Ok, thanks for the info."

"You're welcome, well, I'd better go, things to do, etc"

"Alright then, bye Greg"

"See ya Simone."

And at that, Greg turned and left. _Hmm, dancing. Well, I reckon I could pull it off._

A little while later, I had cleared away all the weeds and gotten out my hoe and seed bags. _Great, what now?_

As if answering my question, Josh appeared, smiling, at my farm gate.

"Oh, hello" I greeted my hot neighbour.

"Hey Simone, the field looks great! I can't believe it's the same as that waste land it was a few days ago."

"Thanks" I replied blushing a little.

"What you up to now?"

"Um...I was just going to start sowing the seeds I got, but…I'm afraid I don't know how," I told him, lying. Back home I had won several awards for my gardening skills, before I'd moved to the Big Apple.

"That's ok, I can help you." He replied with the cutest smile.

"Really? Thanks!"

"What can I do?" asked Kelly, prancing around my heels

"Ah, you can go and…ah…lie in the sun for a while."

"Ok," she said, picking up that I wanted to work with Josh alone.

"Huh, what did you say?" said Josh, confused.

"Oh, I was just talking to Kelly."

"The dog?"

"Yeah," I said quietly, realised how crazy that sounded out loud.

"Right, that's cool, I sometimes talk to the animals too; seems to make them happy."

"I bet it does." I muttered under my breath, "So, what do we do first?"

"Well first, I need the hoe," I obediently handed him the hoe, "and then you go over to the place you want to till, and do this."

Josh brought the hoe over his head, swung it down and quickly scratched the dirt once. Instantly, a dark square of tilled soil magically appeared.

"Wow!" I said, amazed at how easy that looked.

"And, that's how you till soil. But you will need a 3 x 3 square to plant 9 squares, which is how much seed there is in one bag. Here, why don't you try doing the rest." He said, handing me my hoe.

As I took it from him, our hands touched, sending a shiver down my spine. Brought the tool over my head, as Josh had done, and swung it down next to the dark square, scratching the ground. Once again a dark square appeared in the dirt.

"Wow! It's amazing how things here seem to happen so magically!" I exclaimed

"What are you talking about?" asked Josh, looking confused.

"I just scratched the dirt and the soil was tilled like magic!"

He gave me a look that said something like, '_what is she talking about?'_

"Things don't happen as easily back where I come from" I said quickly.

"Really?"

"Yea, like with weeding, back in my old home, you had to pull the weeds by hand, and then throw them in the bin, but here, all I have to do is cut it with the sickle and it disappears! Maybe this valley is like, magic or something"

He shrugged. "Perhaps you're right, I wouldn't know; I've never been outside the valley. Anyway, why don't you finish the 3X3 square and then I can show you how to plant the seeds."

I then moved on to the next patch of dirt and tilled the soil, until I had created a 3X3 square.

"Ok, now, let me show you how to plant seeds."

Josh stood on the middle square of my newly tilled squares. I tossed him a bag of turnip seeds. He reached into the bag, grabbed a handful and tossed them into the air around him. They fell onto the ground and sank deep into the soil.

"And that's how you sow seeds" he said conclusively.

"Nice, so, do I get to try?" I asked

"Sure, here you go" and he handed me back the seed bag.

After successfully planting all the turnip seeds, and then planting all the others, (including the grass, which took a while to plant) I invited him into my house for a drink.

"So, how come you know so much about planting and stuff?" I asked

"Well, I helped my father plant all our crops. We grow our own fruit and vegetables, you see, it's much healthier that way" he replied

"Oh, ok" I said, handing him a glass of water, "What do people do for school here?"

"Well, the kids used to be home-schooled, but now; Fr Steward is making arrangements with the Mayor to set up a school in the church. Their aren't many children here yet, but with majority of us here being the same age, the mayor is hoping _our_ kids…" he said, blushing a little, "…will all be around the same age and that way, we will have enough for a class of kids at the same level."

"Is _that_ why the mayor is pressuring me about all that… stuff…" I started, clearly blushing, "and marriage and……" suddenly, there was a loud bang coming from outside, "What was that?"

* * *

_**Incase you guys couldn't pick it up (although I'm sure you did), this chapter in particular is essentially poking fun at some of the elements of Harvest Moon, such as the process of planting crops and weeding, which are completely unrealistic. Don't get me wrong, I wish more than anything that it was that simple in real life, but you know, I wrote this like 2 years ago, and as much as I attempted to re-write it, I couldn't really bring myself to change much, other than re-write a few paragraphs and correct any grammar mistakes I didn't pick up earlier. But don't worry, when I get to the chapters that I'll have to write from scratch, they'll be much more…I dunno, better? I hope the new ones will show how I've progressed as a writer (and I'd like to think I have), but oh well. We'll see how it all pans out, I guess. **_

_**Sorry for the long hiatus. I did yr 12 this year, but luckily it's now over, so I have more time to write :D**_

_**Reviews are always greatly appreciated (you don't know how much I love hearing from you guys :D)**_


	6. Floral Dancing

_****_

A/N: Chapter 6, wherein there is the famous Flower Festival

* * *

Chapter 6 – Floral Dancing.

When Josh and I ran outside we didn't see anything. After an hour spent looking for the possible source of the loud, disturbing noise, we agreed that it must have been the wind or a tree that fell over in the forest or something. He left later, but with the source of the sound a mystery...

A week later, I was spinning like a ballerina whilst clinging to the rail so I didn't fall. I had spoken to Julie a week earlier and she had decided to let me join the dancing for the festival. So there I was, at the final dress rehearsal in a frilly pink dress, with large, long-lasting pink roses scattered all over the silky material. It had apparently been the dress worn by my Great Uncle's late wife. I was amazed it had lasted all these years, yet it didn't look a day older than when it had first been made.

_'I wonder what Josh will think of me in this frilly pink…thing'_ I thought. I wasn't usually a fan of pink. It was just too… girly… for my liking. Although, the dress was really pretty. After the dancing session ended I went into the changing rooms to get out of the sickly sweet dress and back into my usual attire, when I was approached by Jess.

"Hey, Simone, can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked me seriously

"Sure, what's up?" I replied happily, wondering what could cause her usual cheery face to suddenly become so concerned.

"It's just, well, I've heard things lately."

"Ahh… Okay… What kind of things? Loud things? Mean things? Crazy voices in your head kind-of things?"

"No, nothing like that," she said, shaking her head, "Things about the guys, and…"

"What?" I asked her, hoping this wasn't leading to where I thought,

"Well, it's that, basically, all the guys here are like, at least kind-of keen on you."

"…what are you saying? That they like me?"

"Yeah,"

"All of them?"

"Pretty much. Or at least that's what I hear."

"…wow, that was unexpected." I said, dumbfounded.

"Tell me about it. It's probably something to do with you being new. You know, fresh meat, and all" she replied off-handedly.

I wasn't so sure I was ok with the idea of being considered a piece of meat.

"So, anyway, it means you pretty much have your pick of whoever you want."

I was startled. Jess and I had become good friends over the last few days, and this was a very strange thing to point out. Not to mention rather blunt. Sensing that there was a reason for this awkward conversation, I urged her to continue.

"Yes, and…"

"It's just that, well…"

"Spit it out!" I said impatiently

"Would you do me a favour and well, leave…"

_'Please don't tell me to stay away from your brother'_ I silently pleaded.

"Tom…for me?" she said in a small voice.

_'Thank God!'_ I let out a small sigh of relief, before realising the impact of her statement.

"Do you…do you like Tom?" I asked, curiously

She blushed deeply, "Um…yeah, kinda…"

I grinned. So my new bestie was smitten with Mr. Broody (as I had mentally nick-named him due to his dark, quiet and brooding manner). It seemed an odd match, with her being so…perky.

"Don't worry Jess, Tom is all yours!" I smiled, knowingly.

* * *

The next thing I knew, it was the day of the festival. I had been thinking over my conversation with Jess for the past few days, and laughing at how strange it all was. I seriously had never predicted Tom and Jess. But seeing as in all my experiences with Tom he had been so distant, I didn't really know him. They seemed to be complete opposites. Jess was bubbly and talkative and always happy. I had only ever seen Tom when he had been sad-looking and moody and very reluctant to talk, and when he could, he substituted words with grunts or facial expressions. Complete. Opposites.

I made my way through the silent town. It was like a ghost town. There wasn't a person in sight.

"Where is everyone?" Asked Kelly, at my heels.

"At the Square already, maybe." I replied with uncertainty. It was usually quiet. A tumbleweed bounced past me as if proving my suspicions. Strange, I had no idea tumble weeds grew outside deserts. "I know! They have all been abducted by aliens!" I replied sarcastically.

"I thought you just said they were at the square." my pup reminded me, seemingly a bit too young to understand concepts such as these.

"Oh, well, I guess we will find out soon then." I said, as the Town Square came into view.

I stepped onto the square and was instantly greeted by a crowd of happy people. A couple of them looked a little too happy for that time of the morning, if you catch my drift. I watched in amusement as Jerry stumbled over his own feet and Megan hurried over to him to scold him for making as ass of himself in front of the whole town. Although everyone looked like they were used to it. I felt sorry for Jerry. Megan looked like she wanted to scream.

Anyway, I turned my attention to Jess, in all her enthusiastically-waving glory. She Beckoned me over. When Kelly and I approached her, she looked confused.

"Why did you bring the dog?" She asked.

"Oh, well um…" I searched for an excuse. I hadn't told Jess about my powers and I didn't think that now was the time to enlighten her. "I couldn't keep her home. She's gotten too attached to me."

"Aww, that's too cute! How can anyone say no to those adorable eyes?"

Jess bent down and stroked Kelly on her head.

"Oh, your hands are so cold! Ever heard of gloves?" Exclaimed Kelly, which I imagine was heard by Jess as "Woof!"

"Come on; let's get changed for the dancing!" Jess told me, taking me by the hand and pulling me into the large, pink tent.

Inside were all the girls, busy putting on their colourful floral dresses and make-up. Jess led me to a coat rack with my dress. I looked at its shiny pink material.

"It's really beautiful." I said.

"I know." Said Jess, beaming, "Well, I'll leave you to change. We're on in fifteen minutes."

Jess walked away and I got changed into my dress. I looked into the mirror and flinched at my reflection.

_'God, it's so…pink!'_

I took my golden hair out of its plaits, that I had quickly done that morning, and brushed it until it was silky and wavy. I spotted some pick flowers on the table next to the mirror. The flowers matched the ones on my dress, so I put them decoratively in my hair. Moving on to the make-up, putting on perhaps a bit too much mascara, like I remember doing back in high-school. Suddenly the door to the tent flew open and in came Julie.

"Okay everyone, time to dance!" She announced.

* * *

About half an hour later I was sitting on a bench in the square, my head in my hands, with Kelly lying on me feet and Jess and Tabitha next to me.

"How fun was the dance!" Exclaimed Jess.

"I know, I was spinning and twirling and spinning and twirling, oh my, it was so exhilarating!" Said Tabitha.

"Agh, don't talk to me about spinning, my head hurts!" I said. The dancing was really fun, but I overdid it on the spinning and twirling and now I was waiting for my brain to catch up.

"Hey, look who Cass is bringing over." Said Jess.

I looked up, hoping to see Josh, but instead, it was a girl. She had long curly red hair and blue eyes. They walked over to us.

"Hey Simone, I don't believe you've met Bec. Her dad's the carpenter around here." Said Cass.

"Nice to meet you Simone," said Bec, extending her hand.

"Same here Bec," I said, shaking her hand, still a little groggy.

For some reason, I felt an immediate disliking to this girl. I wasn't sure why. She seemed nice, but it was peculiar. I had never had this bad, kinda doomed feeling before. Perhaps it was my new powers kicking in. But still, I didn't see why I wouldn't like Bec. I hid my confusion and decided to wait until I'd learnt more about her before I made any judgements. We talked for a while, until Mel and Aggie came and took Cass and Bec away to "Check out the 'juice'". A little while after they left, the boys came.

"Looks like we'll have to drink water from now on." Said Sam.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"The girls over there are heavy drinkers. Along with Jerry, Greg and Mike, there won't be anything left." Said James.

"Oh, well, it's a good thing I'm not in the mood to drink then."

"Why not?"

"Still spinning slightly," I replied, pointing to my head, which was almost back to normal, but I didn't quite trust myself to walk at that moment.

"I thought you guys did practice to get used to the spinning." Josh said.

"We did. And my head spun then too. I'm not really used to dancing…or at least, not this kind of dancing,"

Josh laughed. I smiled.

"So, you know, you girls looked really good out there." Said Sam.

"Yeah, kinda like flowers." Said Tom quietly.

"You really think so?" Asked Jess, looking up hopefully

"Yeah." Tom replied quietly.

"Yeah, you all looked great. Was it hard learning all the dancing in time, Simone?" Asked Josh.

I could feel my cheeks warming up a little. I wasn't used to this kind of attention. "It wasn't that hard. I did ballet when I was younger, so this whole dancing this is kinda easy. But that was years ago. Hence the spinning head."

"Ballet huh? That's pretty cool."

"Well, we'd better stop the other girls from killing off all their brain cells." James interrupted, gesturing to the three girls who now surrounded by many empty wine glasses having what looked like a drinking competition.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want them to pass out here." I said.

"I think it's a bit late for that." Said Jess, pointing to Mel, staggering as she walked.

"See you 'round," said Josh as the boys walked away.

"You know, I had no idea that people here liked their alcohol so much." I said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Said Tabitha.

"James seems rather protective of Mel, doesn't he?" I said, gesturing to a drunk Mel, being carried by James to a near-by bench.

"I know. They've liked each other since, like, forever." Said Jess.

"Are they going out?" I asked.

"Oh no, both are completely oblivious to each others feelings and they're too nervous to say anything to the other." Said Tabitha

"We have a bet going, on when they'll finally realise each others feelings and hook up." Added Jess

"Has anyone thought to just tell them?" I quested.

"Oh no, where's the fun in that?" Said Jess.

"Does that mean that if I liked someone, and you knew that he liked me, you wouldn't tell me?"

"Hmmm, depends."

"On what?"

"The odds."

"Great. Nice to know you'll put betting before my love life." I said sarcastically. "So, are there any other couples I should know about?"

"No not that I know of. I know a few people have shown a little interest in others, but no-one else has been that serious." Jess replied, "It's kinda tough though, being in a small town. We've all grown up together. Like one big family."

I nodded, in agreement. I looked at watch. It was getting late. I told this to Jess.

"Why don't you walk home with me and Josh? It can be scary walking by yourself in the dark, and you're only next-door" reasoned Jess.

I looked at the sky, and indeed it was getting dark. I was surprised I hadn't noticed it until just now.

"Sure, when do we leave?" I asked.

"Just give me 10 minutes to get Josh." She said, before racing off into the crowd.

"Okay then." I said quietly after her. _'I wonder if she knows I like him'_ I thought to myself.

_'I don't think so, but won't it be funny when she finds out her new best friend has the hots for her brother.'_ Said a voice in my head.

Startled, I looked around_. 'It's me silly'_

I peered down to see Kelly looking at me.

_'What, are you telepathic or something?'_ I asked.

_'No, but you are. I can just talk to you because the link is open. You have to learn to control it, but don't worry; non-magical humans won't notice it. Only us animals. We're so perceptive you know.'_

_'Whoa, I like this power. Does this mean I can read minds too?'_

_'Sure, once you learn how.'_

_'Awesome. How do you know all about this powers stuff anyway? How do you know about having the "hots" for someone? You're only a pup! How do you know all this?' _I asked in a scandalised fashion.

_'The Harvest Goddess filled me in on most of it. And Tabby and I are supposed to be your helpers and help you learn how to use your powers and stuff. Kind of like witches familiars.'_

_'So Tabby knows all about this too?'_

_'Sure does.'_

_'Well, at least _someone_ knows what's going on.'_

While I was waiting for Jess and Josh, I changed back into my normal clothes. I met the twins by the Square exit.

"Aww, Simone, you got changed." Said Jess.

"Well, so did you." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but you looked really pretty."

"I'll try to keep that in mind next time. Always wear a dress because it makes me look pretty. Super." I said, as if making a mental note "Are you saying I don't look pretty when I'm not in one?"

"Course she isn't, Simone, you always look pretty." Said Josh.

"Thanks." I said, thankful that is was dark so they couldn't see me blushing, again.

"Well, let's go!" Said Jess, completely oblivious of the deeper affect her brother's words had had on me.

From then on, we walked in silence. The only exception was Jess, humming the music that we had danced to earlier. It wasn't long before we got to their farm.

"Well, this is our stop." Said Jess, dramatically, "I'll see you tomorrow Simone." And she walked into her house.

"See you Simone." Said Josh, "Well done at the festival. You really made it something special..." He then quickly rushed inside.

I was left standing outside with Kelly, stunned at his words.

_'At this rate, she'll never find out about you and Josh. I mean, he was like, practically flirting with you, in front of her.'_ Said Kelly, using mind speak.

_'He wasn't flirting, it was just a compliment.' _I replied

_'According to the tinge of your cheeks, it meant more to you.'_

_'Oh shut up.'_

_'You know, it's either, he's like this with all the girls, or he likes you.'_

_'Which one is it?' _I asked

_'I dunno. Maybe you should ask the other girls and see if he's always like this.'_

_'I can't just out-right ask them.'_

_'Sure you can.'_

I gave Kelly a look that said "Are you serious?"

_'Okay, well, maybe you can slip it into a conversation, all sneaky like_.'

_'For some reason, I like that option better. You know, for a dog, you do give very good advice.'_

_**

* * *

**__**And that's chapter 6. At least it was a much quicker update that before, eh? Well, I hope you guys like it. :D**_

_**And again, reviews are good too. I don't want to plead with you for them…but well, you know…it'd be *nice*…**_

_**Ok, well, later guys **_


	7. The Rival

**A/n: Chapter 7, re-formatted and slightly re-written**

* * *

Chapter 7 – The Rival

The next week was full of excitement. Well, kind of, but it got to about the most exciting as life on a farm in a small sleepy town could get. Or so I thought. But my week went like this: Monday, the day after the festival, I was shocked to discover that my turnip seeds had sprouted, and after watering, I spent the rest of the day telling everyone how excited it was.

Tuesday, after my chores, I hung out with Jess, Tom, Cass and Sam by the river and we went fishing. We didn't catch anything, but Sam pushed Cass into the river, who then pulled in Tom, who accidentally knocked in Jess, who then grabbed my shoe and pulled _me_ in. We all went home soaking, but in fits of uncontrollable laughter, even Tom, which won us the suspicious glances from the other towns' people.

On Wednesday, Jess decided to help me "Expand my legacy" and she took me to her farm to buy a chicken. I picked a young white hen and named her Lucy.

But on Thursday, it got _really_ interesting. After feeding Lucy and my pets, on top of all the watering I had to do (_who knew farming would be such hard work!)_ I decided to take a break and I went into the forest for a walk. Unfortunatley, I happened upon Bec and Josh. I would have joined them, but I could see Bec flirting shamelessly with Josh, much to my annoyance. I kept hidden and left as soon as Bec went inside.

It was then that I knew why I didn't like Bec when I first met her. She was after Josh. From where I was, hiding in the bushes, I couldn't see Josh's reaction, but I knew one thing; this girl was trouble. But, as the logical, calm and sensible person I was, (as I was reminded by Tabby, 3 hours later, after a huge rant over how much I disliked that damn slapper) I decided that it would be wise to not do anything stupid until I found out all the facts (or rather, that was what Tabby managed to yell at me after Kelly had pinning me down so I would listen).

As much as I wanted to go out and bitch-slap Bec, (I would've but I was being held back by Kelly and Tabs) I decided (after much whining) to take Tabby's advice and find out more. Much to my delight, this involved being sneaky; one of my _favourite_ past times.

Friday, Jess came over and told me of the Thanksgiving Festival, to occur the next day. Seemingly odd for it to be in Spring, and this early in the year, but as I later learnt, it was a special Oak Town tradition and completely different from the holiday I had celebrated in the USA.

I would've asked Jess about Bec and Josh, but I decided against it since I didn't know how she would react to finding out my intentions, and asking such a question would certainly arouse suspicion. That or I was just an over analyser and couldn't help myself from making up bogus excuses and stressing myself over nothing. Stupid brain.

* * *

Saturday was the festival and we all met in the Square for the party. I came there at about 5 in the afternoon. When I got there, tables and chairs were set out in the square and lively music playing in the back-round. Jess called me over to a table with her and Josh. I happily sat down in between her and her brother.

Out the corner of my eyes, I could see Kelly race into the bushes and Tabby quickly jump up a tree. They had agreed to work together in recon and be spies for me to watch Josh and Bec. Over the last few days, I had practiced my Mind powers with my pets, and at this stage, I could talk long distances with them both and at least read the general moods of people. Apparently, mind reading was much more complicated than I had first expected.

"So, what's this festival all about?" I asked

"Well, the thanksgiving festival used to be celebrated privately our own homes, but about four years ago, it was decided to have a big communal dinner party instead." Explained Jess

"Any excuse for a party in this town," Added Josh, "Once, they held a party to celebrate when James lost his first tooth. That tradition was discontinued when the Timothy realised how expensive it was."

"Yeah, the winery charged double for all the alcohol because Mike had insisted on the best. The Mayor thew a fit. It was hilarious to watch." Said Jess

"I'm sad I missed it." I replied

"Hey everyone!" greeted a sickeningly cheery voice. I turned to see Bec come over and sit on the other side of Josh.

"Hi." Said Jess, smiling, but her eyes showing tension

"Hey" called Josh, cheerily as always

"Hi Bec." I said, plastering a fake smile on my face, but secretly cursing her in my mind.

"What you all talking about?" Bec asked.

"Just stuff…" said Jess. I got a feeling that Jess didn't really like Bec.

As much as I liked to see Bec suffer under the tension, I decided to be nice and change the topic.

"So…Summer's in a few weeks. That'll be good." I said

"Yea, I heard Luke's coming again." Said Josh, completely oblivious to what was happening around him.

"Who's Luke?" I asked

"He's this guy who used to come and run the Beach Café every summer, but he hasn't come for about 5 years now. I wonder why…" said Jess

"Well, it will be good to see him again," said Bec, "we used to be great friends when we were younger."

"Indeed." Said Jess, her voice icy.

"I love this song." Said Bec, suddenly, "Josh, do you wanna dance?"

"Ok." he replied, agreeable as ever.

Jess and I watched through evil eyes as Bec pulled Josh by his arm, onto the dance floor.

"Why do I get the feeling you don't really like Bec?" I asked Jess.

"It's because I _don't_ like her." She replied, not taking her eyes of her brother and his dance partner.

"Why?"

"Because she likes Josh. I saw her flirting with him outside the farm yesterday. Slut!"

"Don't you like people going out with Josh?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"Its not that, it's just…she's so _wrong_ for him. AND she's such a flirt. She tried to hit on Tom before she realised he wasn't interested and she gave up. I hate that whore!"

"Does Josh like her?" I asked, feeling that this would be the best time to ask such and question and not make her suspicious.

"I don't know. When ever I try to talk about his love life with him, he changes the topic and leaves the room."

"Oh." I said, my hatred for Bec increasing.

"Why do you wanna know?" asked Jess, suddenly looking at me.

"Oh, well, I was just wondering…because, you know…if he doesn't like her…than maybe she'll move on to someone else soon…" I said, trying my best to find an excuse.

"Yeah, I certainly hope so," Jess resumed staring angrily at Bec.

Soon, the music was turned down and everyone was encouraged to return to their seats. Bec and Josh returned, along with Tom, who sat next to Jess (much to her delight) and also, Cass and Sam. On the next table over, I could see Aggie, Tabitha and Mel all laughing at a joke that James had just said. I turned back to my table, and it was then that I noticed the several large platters, covered by shiny lids.

"Have these been here the whole – " I was cut off by a loud cough.

We all turned to see Mayor Timothy politely, but non-the-less, loudly coughing to get everyone's attention.

"Now that I have all your attention," said the tiny man, "I would like to welcome you all to the Thanksgiving Festival, and remind you why we are here. This festival is to give thanks for everything good in our lives, to the goddess, to our neighbours and most importantly, to our ancestors; who founded this town many years ago. So, a toast to all the people I just mentioned."

Everyone raised their glasses. I raised the one I just noticed in front of me, (_Is it me or do things seem to just appear most conveniently when I need them?_) and I joined in the toast.

"To the just mentioned." Said Timothy

"To the just mentioned." Replied all the towns' people.

Then, dinner began. We all lifted the shiny lids off the platters, and everyone took what they wanted from the various meats, soups and salads. I had a bit pumpkin soup before starting on some chicken ( _I hope Lucy doesn't end up like this_) and pasta salad. I was half way through dessert (chocolate pudding and ice cream) when I was interrupted.

'_Hey, Simone, you think _I_ could get some of that chicken?' _asked Kelly, using MindSpeak_. _

'_Um, ok. What about Tabby?'_

'_I'm fine thanks. You wouldn't believe how many mice there are out here.' _Replied my Cat

'_Ok, give me a sec.'_

I looked around me, and saw I was sitting in front of a part of the garden that surrounded the square. _'Hmm, I'll never be able to do it without people noticing. I need a distraction…_'

I cleared my throat. "Hey, Look! A distraction!" I called out loudly, pointing out to the general direction in front of me. It worked. Everyone on my table suddenly looked up and were all craning their necks, trying to see the non-existent distraction. I took the opportunity to grab a couple of the chicken pieces and throw them behind me. A bushy thud told me they reached their destination.

"Where?" asked Cass

"I don't see it." Said Jess

"Oh, you just missed it! And a shame too, It was a Copper-crested Eagle. Very rare." I said, picking the first thing I could think of.

"I've never heard of a Copper-crested Eagle." Said Bec, suspiciously.

"That's because it's _rare_." I said

"Damn, I always wanted to see one of those." Said Josh, disappointedly.

"Maybe it'll come back later." I said, now wondering if my imaginary bird _was_ in fact an actual bird, and not just something I'd made up.

The rest of the night went alright. The only exceptions were when I saw Bec's hand suspiciously leave the table and disappear under it. Josh made no response, except to give her a few odd looks, so I kept my peace…for now. '_Skank!'_

When I got back home, with Kelly and Tabby, I was more determined than ever not to let Bec win. I was surprised at myself for being this passionate about such a cause. Seeing a cute boy I liked flirt with another girl had never made me this mad before. But I took it as a sign that Josh, even though I had only known him for a few weeks, had still meant more to me than any other boy, and yet another reason to not give up the fight.

* * *

The last few weeks of Spring were relatively uneventful, compared to the beginning at least. After the Thanksgiving festival, my crops had all grown to the stage where I could harvest them, and I spent a whole day with Jess picking them and shipping them in the bin. By the end of spring, my crops (which I had replaced and grown again), along side of the stuff I had gotten from the forest, had left me with a rather good profit. I spent some of it on a young Cow, who I named Carla.

The horse racing festival was cancelled because of rain, and no-one ever got around to reorganising it. At the cooking festival, a fat judge called The Gourmet, came to town and everyone tried their best to impress him with their food. I didn't have a kitchen, but I used the one at the Inn and made a simple Pumpkin Soup, after the theme was announced. (soup). Crystal won, but I came third after Tom. Very surprising considering I didn't even have my own kitchen.

But the last day of spring was one that I knew I would remember for a long time.

I had woken up earlier than usual, knowing that I had to clear away the remains of my crops before they died and became even harder to remove, as I was informed by Jess. Once I had finished clearing my field, I looked up to see Josh standing by my gate, like he had several weeks before.

"Hey, Simone. Can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Sure, come inside."

We went inside my house and sat at my table.

"I really like what you've done with the farm. You've achieved quite a lot since you first started." He began.

"Thanks. That really means a lot." I said, smiling.

"And you've shown that you're good with animals. I mean, Lucy and Carla have never looked happier and you seem to have a real attachment to Kelly and Tabby."

"Where's all this flattery going?" I asked, beaming that he had noticed so much.

"There's a point, I swear." He grinned, "The thing is, one of our mares had a foal a little while back, and there's no room for him now at the farm. Usually when we get a new foal, we send it away to a farmer in a different town, but now that _we_ have a farmer, who doesn't have a horse, I was hoping you could take him."

"Are you serious? I've always wanted a horse. It's been like, my dream since I was 13. I'd love to look after him." I said, excitedly.

"Great. I thought you'd say something like that. Lets go and meet him then." Said Josh.

At the Animal Farm, I was standing outside the barn with Kelly, waiting nervously to meet my new colt. After briefly explaining things to Tabby earlier using mind speak (now that I knew how, it was one of my favourite forms of communication) she agreed to let me take home a new animal. It seems that Tabby was only annoyed with Kelly because she's a dog. Understandable seeing as Tabby's a cat and all.

The door opened, an out walked Josh, leading a young black stallion. He looked no more than 6 months old.

"Here he is. We haven't named him yet, so you can do the honours." Said Josh

"Hmmm, what about…Blaze?" I suggested

Blaze whinnied and said to me "That's better than what they've been calling me. 'Horse' gets annoying after a while."

"I think he likes it!" Said Josh, beaming, "I knew I was right to choose you to look after him."

"Aww…Thanks. You're just full of the compliments today, aren't you." I said, truly ecstatic over all the nice things he said.

"Well, you deserve them." He said, beaming. I could hear Kelly say '_awwwww, that's so sweet!_' in my mind.

"I'll give you a brush and a weeks worth of feed for free. You won't be able to ride him for a while, though." Said Josh

"Thanks. Does he need to have any special food? Or can I give him the same hay that I've been feeding Carla." I asked

"Hay is fine, but a few scoops of pellets every other day would be good too. And plenty of water."

"Okay. Want to help me settle him in?" I asked, which may or may have not been asking him out.

"I would love to, but I have to help Dad today. One of our older cows is due today, and she might have some trouble delivering the calf on her own. Sorry."

'_Damn!_' "That's ok, I understand. The cow is important."

"I'm glad you understand. Not many girls would."

"Well, I'm not many girls…if that made sense."

"I get what you mean." He laughed

"Ok, well, I guess I'll see you around. Bye!"

"Bye Simone."

Later, I was in my horse stable, (which now happened to be magically restored, as if new, just like all the other buildings, strangely enough) getting Blaze all settled in his new home.

"Was it just me or were you flirting with Josh earlier?" asked Kelly

"She did? I can't believe I missed it!" said Tabby, disappointed.

"I wasn't flirting." I retorted

"She practically asked him out." said Kelly

"So I wasn't imagining all the chemistry there." Added Blaze, showing knowledge annoyingly far beyond his years.

"Oh shut up all of you." I said, roughly brushing Blaze.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry. Well, I think you're pretty settled here. What do you think of your new home?" I asked my new foal.

"It's really nice, but kind of empty. It may take a while for me to get used to being on my own." He replied, "My old home had 12 other horses."

"Don't worry, I'll get more horses one day, but don't forget, just next door is Carla, my cow who you'll have to meet, and then I'm only in the house a little way down."

"That's still pretty far…"

"I can sleep in here if you want." Volunteered Kelly, "To keep you company."

"Really? I'd really appreciate that." Said Blaze

"Sure. I used to sleep in a barn when I lived back at the Animal Farm. It's no hassle." she replied, wagging her tale at the prospect of a sleepover with someone from her old home.

"That's really generous of you Kelly." I replied.

She shrugged. "No problem. Anyway, let's get back to what we were talking about before; I reckon with all those compliments, he really _must_ like you."

"Not this again." I sighed.

"What did he say?" asked Tabby

The conversation went on like this for a while.

* * *

Meanwhile…(_Josh's POV_)

"I hope I didn't reveal too much." I mumbled, once inside the house.

"What did you say?" asked my sister, lounging on the couch.

"Nothing…" I said quickly.

"Didn't sound like nothing." Jess pestered.

"It was nothing. Go back to…whatever you were doing."

"I will, but once you answer my question. And you can't keep avoiding it. This farm is too small for you to get away."

"Jess, it's none of your business." I replied sharply.

"As your sister, it's _every bit_ my business. Now, what are you doing with Bec? Is she just a fling, or are you going out with her?" demanded Jess.

"I…I'm not really sure… No, I don't think so…"

"That's not an answer!" she replied

"This is a big question. I'll need to think about it." I snapped back, "Look, Bec is cool, but I'm not sure. Besides, the only reason _you_ don't like her is because she tried to hit on Tom."

"Shut up! She's a slut and you know it." Jess replied, crossing her arms angrily.

"She hasn't _done_ anything with anyone! In what way is she a slut?" I protested

"What would you know? Look, I'm a girl. I know these things. And believe it or not, she's a slut! And I really don't want you going out with her!"

"I'm not going out with her!" I shouted angrily.

"Oh you're not are you?" said Jess, "Then what are you doing with her?"

"I…I…I don't know…" I replied, defeated. "I thought I had it all worked out, but then things changed, and now I'm not sure of anything anymore."

Jess didn't reply, but she continued to glare at me, clearly not happy with my response.

"I'm going to bed." I said, heading for the stairs.

She didn't say anything further, even though I could tell she wanted to.

But I didn't care. Lately, I hadn't been sure of anything. My whole world had been tipped mercilessly on its head and I wasn't sure of where to start making things clear. All I was certain of was that tomorrow, it would be summer, and a new season always meant a fresh outlook on things.

* * *

**Yep, thats chapter 7. i hope you guys kinda like it. still 95% my old work, but hey, i've gotta finish it. The newer chapters (much later) should be of a higher perccentage better quality. **

**so, yeah, leave a review and all that jazz :D**

**Merry Christmas and have an awesome New Year**


	8. The Goddess Pond, again

_**A/n: Chapter 8, wherein Simone makes another trip the Harvest Goddess**_

* * *

Chapter 8 – The Goddess Pond, again 

(Simone's POV)

I awoke to the warm morning sun, pouring in through my open window.

"Wakey wakey Simone" said my cat, jumping onto my stomach.

"Ouch! Go away, too tired…" I yawned, still half asleep.

"Come on, it's the first day of summer. Plenty to do. And the town's people said they want you to be at the pier by 4 o'clock this afternoon to meet Luke when his boat gets here."

"Who?" I asked groggily

"That guy that you and the others were all talking about at the last festival."

"Oh. Right. Well, better get up then." I replied, not moving.

"Simone, you're not moving."

"Since when does getting up have anything to do with moving?" I asked smiling.

"SIMONE!"

"Alright, alright, I'm getting up." I replied grudgingly, "and I thought cats _liked_ to sleep."

* * *

An hour later, Tabby and I had collected Kelly and Blaze from the stable and were all on the forest path, on their way to see the goddess.

"Why are we going to see the Goddess again?" asked Kelly

"Because I need to chat with her about stuff, and my powers. Besides, it's been like, a whole season since I saw her last. There's stuff I need to know." I said

"Why am I here again?" asked Blaze

"Because I thought you didn't want to be cooped up on the farm all the time, and I want to be able to take you with me when I go places. Maybe not in the town, but like, here in the forest. And you need the exercise." I replied

"Are you saying I'm getting tubby?"

"I've had you for a day. Course not, but all horses need to run or walk. Otherwise by the time I can ride you, you'll be too lazy. And that's no good."

"What about you?" Blaze retorted.

"What about me?"

"If you're going to ride me, won't _you_ get lazy and all that?"

"…err…no…it's just…different."

"Yeah right." Mumbled Tabby, under her breath.

I'd heard her, but chose not to say anything. Soon enough, we found the wooden sign post, indicating the Goddess Pond. My animals followed me through the bushes and into the clearing with the sparkling clear pond and waterfall.

"What now?" asked Tabby

"Where is she?" enquired Kelly

"She lives in the pond." I explained

"Should we jump in?" asked Blaze

"I doubt she would appreciate that." said Tabby

"Then what?" he retorted.

"Hmm…what did I do last time?...I know, a flower!" I replied, searching the clearing, which seemed to have an unusual range of flora, especially for the season.

"A flower?" Blaze asked questioningly

"Yeah, I gave her a flower last time as an offering."

"Gods and Goddess' like offerings and sacrifices." Explained Tabby to Blaze who had a confused look on his face.

"You're not going to sacrifice _us_ are you?" he asked me suspiciously

"Of course not. I just told you, she likes _flowers_."

"There's plenty to choose from. Which one will you give her?" asked Kelly

"Ummm, I think I gave her a Snapdragon last time. Now, I think I'll go with…"

I looked around me, searching again amongst the wildflowers for an appropriate gift. Suddenly, I saw the perfect one. "I'll use this one." I picked a red rose.

"Oh, a rose! You know what that means." Said Tabby

"What?" asked Blaze

"She's in _love_. Red roses are symbols of love and why else would it be the most appealing flower to her? She's thinking about Josh." Said Tabby

"Shut up you, I've only known him for a season. I'm not in love. And I wasn't thinking about him!" I lied, annoyed that they were spot on in terms of my love-life. Tabby was right. They _were_ really perceptive. Annoyingly so.

But I didn't feel like discussing it all with Tabby at that point. Loosing an argument to a cat is hardly something to brag about.

"You wait until _you_ meet someone. I'll tease you about it every chance I get!" I sad to my cat.

"Yeah right. We'll see." she replied, rolling her eyes.

Ignoring her, I gently tossed the rose into the pond, where it landed with a small splash.

"Now what?" asked Kelly, for the third time that day.

"Just give it a few - "

I was interrupted by a puff of purple smoke suddenly appearing above the waters surface, and the goddess appeared, floating on the sparkly cloud once more.

"Hello Simone. It is so nice to see you again. And I see you have brought your little friends too. Hi dears!" It seemed that the Goddess was _always_ this happy.

"Hi Goddess!" said Kelly, full of energy as usual.

"Hey!" greeted Tabby.

"…" Blaze was rather shy, and could only manage to mumble incoherent words at the goddess.

"I suppose he's still a little shocked at finding someone in the pond." I explained.

"Ok then. So, Simone, what's on your mind?" she asked.

"I want to know a few things first." I started

"Go ahead."

"Do you have any involvement with the relationships here?"

"Well, you see, all the relationships are results of each person's fate and destiny. Although everything may not be clear now, everything will end up as it should, according to their destinies. One day, you will have the ability to read them. The only thing that can change one's destiny is an evil, magic force. One like the unspeakable evil I told you of before. To stop everyone's destinies from taking disastrous turns, it's your job to defeat the evil. As for my involvement, well, I do what you will one day do, and that is making sure everything goes according to what is written. And as a supernatural being of importance here, in a way, directly or indirectly, everything thing that happens is a result of my involvement."

She said all this rather quickly. I vaguely understood the general gist of what was said, but I was still left standing dumbly and looking confused.

"Huh?"

"Kind of. It depends on how you look at it." She summarised.

"Oh. Well, why didn't you just say that?"

"It's more fun the other way. Now, I believe you wanted to talk about something else?"

"Oh yeah, my powers!"

"What about them?"

"Can you tell me more of what I'm supposed to be able to do, and how long until they are all fully developed?"

"Well, what have you noticed now?"

"Um, I can speak with my mind, and I can get glimpses of peoples thoughts, and I now understand pretty much all languages. I think. All I know was when I accidentally flicked over to the Japanese channel, I could understand them perfectly, and I swear they weren't speaking English."

"Did it have subtitles?"

"Well, yes," I said admittedly, "but I wasn't looking at them."

"Right then. Well, it seems that you are fast developing your language and mind powers. Let's do a test to see if you have any others."

The Goddess held out her hands and a ball of fire suddenly appeared in them.

"Here, take it." She commanded.

"But I'll burn myself!"

"No you won't. Well, I hope not. Just take it!"

Hesitantly, I held out my hands, and the Goddess dropped the ball. I closed eyes, expecting to feel full force of the fire, burning my skin, but surprisingly it didn't. When all I felt was a tickling warmth, I opened my eyes. The flame ball flickered.

"Is this some kind of Goddess' trick?" I asked

"No, that's real fire. Soon, you should be able to conjure your own."

"Whoa! That's so awesome!"

"That's not all. You are now immune to all fire. No-matter who much, how hot or what type, no fire will ever harm you. Not even Dragon Fire!"

"Cool!" I didn't bother questioning her about Dragon Fire. I supposed that if I could have magic powers, why couldn't there be dragons too?

"And it's not just fire. Eventually, you will be able to summon all of the elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and Electricity." She told me dramatically.

"Electricity?" I asked, not previously aware that it was considered an element.

"Well, it's not technically an element, but you will be able to use it all the same."

"Okay, anything else?"

"Yes, this next power involves a test to see if you have it yet. Nappy!" the Goddess called. A tiny orange elf like creature suddenly came bursting out of the bushes.

"I wasn't spying, honest!" he cried

"It's not about that Nappy. Get the bird!" commanded the Goddess. She saw the look on my face. "He's a Harvest Sprite. There's about seven of them and they do my bidding."

"Oh."

"Also, they live in the underground with tunnels and they can travel between Oak Town and Mineral Town so quickly, you'd think that there's two sets of them. Three others live there two, but they mostly stick to Flower Bud Village."

"Ok…" I had never heard of these towns before.

"Don't worry, someone will explain those places later." Said the Goddess. Suddenly, the orange sprite came back, clutching a feathery bundle. He lay it at my feet. It was a mangled little bird; a sparrow.

"What happened to it?" I asked. I would've thought it was dead, if I hadn't saw it's tiny chest heaving up and down, very slowly.

"It was attacked by a cat." Replied Nappy.

Everone turned to look at Tabby.

"What?! I didn't do it! I swear!" cried the cat.

"Well, what do you want me to do? I may be a vet, but I don't have anything with me!" I informed the goddess.

"You don't need tools. I want you to heal him. With magic." She replied

"How?"

"Hold your hands over the bird, and magical instinct should take over."

So, I did as I was told and positioned my hands over the dying bird. I closed my eyes, thinking that maybe it would be better to do so. After about a minute, I couldn't stand the darkness anymore, so I opened my eyes to see my hands all warm and glowing. I almost jumped in surprise. When the glowing faded, I moved my outstretched hands to see the little bird sitting up and chirping happily.

"Whoa! Did I do that?"

"Yes, you did. It seems that without even trying, you've mastered Healing. Well done!"

"Thanks ever so much, O Great One!" chirped the bird.

"O Great One?" I questioned the Goddess.

"Never before have the creatures here met someone with such powers. I'm afraid you will be hearing that name very often from now on."

"My name is Quick Wing, and I at your service." The little sparrow bowed deeply.

"Ok, well, I don't really need anything now…" I said, completely stunned by everything that was happening today.

"Then, I beg your permission to return to my home. But if you ever need anything, my friends and I are always willing to be of assistance." The bird looked at me.

"Umm, you can go." I said, and Quick Wing flew off into the forest.

"Very well done. I believe you have made an ally. The birds will be very useful in your battle with The Unspeakable evil!" said the Goddess.

"Are you ever going to explain what this evil is?"

"No"

"Damn. Well, while I am here, it there anything else I need to know before I go? I'm supposed to go to the beach to meet this Luke soon."

"Just one more thing you need to know now. Well, two things, but I won't go into much detail as of yet. Firstly, a clue. Very soon, you will be able to become closer to the animal kingdom than you have ever thought possible."

"Okay…I'm not even going to bother to pretend I understood anything you just said. Why must you be so cryptic?"

"All part of the fun, Darling. Now, secondly, once you master all your powers, I will present you with some very useful tools which will be critical in fighting the Unspeakable Evil."

"And these tools would be…"

"Not telling. It's a surprise. Also, since you've been such a good little mage, that's what you are now, I will tell you something about the impending evil: You will have to fight it before the end of the year."

"That soon! Damn. Why am I a mage?"

"Because you can do magic. Also, you work for me. Just keep all that in mind."

"I never signed up for all this, you know" I told her

"Don't worry, I'm a nice boss. You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt anything or anyone, and also as long as you go and fight all the evil I tell you to."

"So this Unspeakable Evil is not the only one I will have to face?"

"Maybe, maybe not. It's too early to tell, but if another one does come, it'll be either you or your descendants that fight it."

"Descendants?"

"Yes, well, who knows how long it may be before another evil comes here."

"What is it with everyone here trying to get me to get married and have kids? I'm only 19 for crying out loud!"

"All in good time. You can go now. Bub bye!" and with that the Goddess vanished.

"Hmm, I wonder if it isn't too late to go back to New York." I said quietly.

"No moving out of the village!" shouted the voice of the Goddess from her pond.

"Damn!"

* * *

**Yepsies, another half-arsed chapter of this, my first fanfic that I ever wrote. I know it's much weaker than my other works, but I'm determined to complete it and not simply abandon it. I hate authors who abandon perfectly good stories (or in my case, pretty damn average ones) for no reason. So, by god, I'm going to finish this one…eventually.**

**R&R :D (if you can be bothered) ;D**


	9. Summer Arrivals

Chapter 9 – Summer Arrivals.

By the time Kelly and I got to the beach, it was almost four. Blaze went back to the farm to "frolic" in the field with Carla and Lucy, and Tabby wanted to go rat hunting, so it was just me and Kelly, at the beach.

I expected everyone to be there at the beach, but when I arrived, I was shocked to find only the young people. Cass, Mel, Aggie and Bec all stood in a circle quietly, but rapidly discussing things that I couldn't hear, but every now and then some one would laugh. I didn't trust their conversation to not be gossip.

The boys were standing around, also in a circle, but they were playing hacky-sack, something that reminded me of the boys from high school.

Jess and Tabitha were sitting in the sand talking. When Jess looked up, she saw me and waved for me to join them.

"When's this boat supposed to arrive?" I asked

"Soon. We were just talking about Josh." Said Jess

"What about him?" I asked, hoping my 2 years of Drama back in high school was hiding my curiosity.

"Just how he was acting weird yesterday. He gave you the foal didn't he? Was he acting weird then?"

"No, I didn't notice anything strange." I said, lying through my teeth.

I didn't want Jess to know about my animal's suspicions that he liked me. This was because, firstly, she'd probably question my sanity if I started the sentence with "Well, my cat reckons…" and after seeing her attitude towards Bec, I hardly wanted to destroy our friendship over something that might only be one-sided anyway. And not to mention I was scared of Jess when she was angry.

"Hmm, I wonder what it could have been then." Jess pondered. I thanked the Goddess once again that she was rather slow when it came to the possibility of me and her brother.

"Hey, look, I think it's the boat!" said Tabitha, pointing out to the sea.

"Where?" asked Jess

"There! On the horizon!"

About ten minutes later, the boat finally pulled up to the pier. Everyone crowded around to greet Luke. The boat, which was more like a small cruise ship, was tied up to the pier by a deckhand who jumped off the boat. Another deckhand opened the little door, and out stepped a boy, about six feet tall, with short sandy blonde hair, a college sweatshirt, old jeans and lugging a suitcase behind him.

"Hello ladies" were the first words that left his handsome mouth. Some of the girls giggled. "And 'hello' to you." he said, looking directly at me, "I don't believe we've met before."

'_Great, a ladies man. Like I haven't met enough of _those _before'_ I thought sarcastically.

"That would be because I only just got here last season." I replied, raising an eyebrow at his tone.

He winked at me and turned to the guys. "Hey fella's, it's been ages!"

"Welcome back Luke" said James, giving him a manly hug.

The rest of the guys gave him their own greetings, but was clear that James and Luke were close friends.

"Who's he?" asked Jess, indicating to another figure stepping out of the boat.

He took one look at us all, became suddenly very shy and looked down. Taking Jess by the hand, I pulled her with me up to the boat to meet this new guy.

"Hi," I said, trying to get his attention. He looked up at me and seemed to get more confidence.

"I'm Dean." He replied.

"Nice to meet to Dean. I'm Simone, and this is Jess. Welcome to Oak Town."

"So, what are you doing here in Oak Town, Dean?" asked Jess, catching on to what I was trying to do.

"Not sure yet. I'm a nomad. I usually travel around from town to town, looking for work." Replied the scruffy, brown haired boy, scratching the back of his head.

"How old are you? If you don't mind me asking" said Jess, subtle as always. Not.

"Just turned 21." He replied with interest. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." said Jess, nudging me. "Hey, Simone! He's 21! That's perfect for you! And he's really cute." She said only for me to hear.

"Shoosh Jess. Now's not the time." I muttered to her.

"Where are you staying?" I said, changing the topic.

"I don't know yet. Is there a motel or something here? A Bed & Breakfast maybe?" he asked.

"You could stay – "

"At the Inn. I'm sure Mike and Crystal would love to have you stay there." Interrupting Jess before she could suggest that he stay with me, which was exactly what I had seen her thinking when I'd read her mind. I stepped on her foot.

She gave me a look of innocence. I saw right through it.

"Hey, why don't we introduce you to the others?" I suggested, gesturing to everyone behind me.

The shyness I saw before suddenly retuned. "I don't know - "

"You'll have to meet them eventually. Might as well do it now." Said Jess.

Not giving him a choice, I took his hand and pulled him towards the others. Jess picked up his bags. I could see Kelly winking at me from the beach.

"_He's really cute…for a human_" she said telepathically.

"_Shut up!"_

"Hey guys." I said. Everyone looked up at me. "This is Dean. He's new to town. Be nice to him."

Everyone crowded around the newcomer. Luke looked rather peeved that the attention had been taken off him. One by one everyone said hi, asked a few questions and other pleasantries that people say when meeting someone new.

Later, after everyone else had left with Luke to his Café, Jess, Tabitha, Dean and I were the only ones left.

Dean went up to Tabitha.

"I don't think I caught your name." He said to her quietly.

Tabitha blushed. "It's Tabitha." She said in a small voice.

"Nice to meet you Tabitha. I'm Dean." He said. I thought I caught a glimpse of colour on his cheeks, but it was gone in a flash, so it might have been my imagination.

"I know." Tabitha replied, giggling.

This time Dean's blush was obvious.

Jess turned to me. "Did they just have a moment?" she asked me quietly

I tried the best I could to see what they were thinking. "I think they did." I smiled.

"Looks like you missed out. Shame." Said Jess, jokingly.

"Oh, shut up, he's not the one I like." I froze after I said that. '_Oh crap! Now she's knows I like someone!_'

"What did you say?" she asked me.

"Oh, did I say something?" I was never good at comebacks.

"You just said you like someone!" she smiled in a way that made me nervous.

"Did I say that? Because I'm pretty sure all I said was that I didn't like Dean in that way." I said frantically.

"Ha! So you do remember! Admit it, _you_ like one of the guys!" she replied, seeing through my façade.

'_Damn, I fell right into that one_.' "…" I didn't say anything.

"You're not denying it! Oh, this is too good to be true. Who is it?"

"Not telling." I said, using the phrase the Goddess often used on me.

"Is it Sam? James? Blake?"

"Look, Jess, I'm not going to tell you who I like." I said, fearing that if she had kept going she would reach Josh, and I wasn't sure if I could lie to her anymore.

"Fine, But I'll find out sooner or later." She replied, her eyes giving me some kind of warning.

Luckily, she dropped the topic.

"So, guys," she said to Dean and Tabitha. "Let's get you to the Inn. I'm sure you'll love it here in Oak Town." She winked at Dean.

His eyes darted to me, as if either saying "Huh?" or "Help!". It can be hard to distinguish eye-messages when they start with a common letter.

Jess led the group up the stairs and in the direction of the Inn. I followed behind everyone and Kelly came back to my side.

'_Damn! How did I let that escape?!_' I thought angrily.

'_You were careless. Remember to think before you talk_.' Kelly said, intruding in on my thoughts, as always.

'_What do I do now? If she finds out I like Josh, our friendship is history!_'

'_Then don't tell her. Judging from her reactions to Bec, she'll probably watch you like a hawk from now on to try and find out who you like. You'll have to be extremely careful with everything you do; who you talk to, who you avoid, who you steal glances at. Constant Vigilance_!' my pup replied, quoting someone I think I once knew.

'_That's all good and well, but I can't keep doing that forever! There has to be another way_.'

'_Well, if she's distracted with something, then she won't have time to watch you.'_

'_What do you mean by distraction?_'

'_Didn't she once say she liked Tom?_'

'_Ah, I see what you're trying to say here. If she's to busy with Tom, than I can have my privacy. Kel, you are a genius._'

'_Why thank you Simone. But there is once obstacle we have to face.'_

'_What's that?_'

'_Tom_.'

'_Oh yeah. If he doesn't like Jess, than the whole plan is as doomed as the titanic. Luckily my new powers can discover the information we need_.'

'_Sounds like a plan'_ replied Kel.

* * *

I looked up to see that we had arrived at the Inn. Entering, I noticed the very person we needed, washing glasses at the bar. Jess, Tabitha and Dean went over to Mike and organised Dean's accommodation. I went up to the bar and sat on one of the stools.

"Hi-ya Tom." I greeted cheerfully

"Hello." He gazed at me suspiciously.

"So, how life?" I asked, while mustering all my concentration on mind reading. It was usually easier if the subject was distracted.

"Good, I guess. Did you want something?"

"A glass of water would be nice." I said, still focused on his mind.

Tom busied himself with getting me my drink and I took the opportunity to dive in.

Searching through his mind, I looked for the relevant information.

'_Hmm, right now he's wondering why I'm talking to him. Is there anything about Jess?_'

I filtered through thoughts, memories and other things one would find in someone's mind, until I came to something very interesting; a selection of special memories. Without hesitating, I went in to investigate.

'_It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining through the leaves above and the stream was gurgling. A young girl with her brown hair in plats was standing by the river. _

"_Hey Jess." Said a ten-year-old male voice. Tom._

"_What is it Tommy?" asked Jess._

"_I bet you I can catch more fish than you!"_

"_Really, well, we'll see about that!" Jess cried, laughing. Suddenly, her foot slipped on the river back and Jess screamed as she fell into the river. _

"_Jess!" cried Tom as he dived into the river to save the struggling Jess. Tom swam over to Jess, who was floundering in the deep water. He put one arm around her waist and swam her back to the shore. _

"_Jess! Are you alright?" _

"_Tommy…you saved me." Jess said quietly, exhausted._'

The memory ended. But it was replaced by another.

'_Tom and Jess sat side-by-side on the mountain peak, admiring the warm sunset. She turned to him. _

"_Hey Tommy?" she asked_

"_What?"_

"_What kind of guy do you think I'll end up with?"_

_Tom blushed and looked away. "I dunno, what kind of guy to girls usually like? Tall, dark and handsome?" he suggested._

"_Hmm…tall dark and handsome. I like the sound of that_."

'Damn!' _he thought_. 'I may be tall, but my hair and skin are fair and I doubt someone like Jess would consider me handsome.'

_Jess continued, "On second thoughts, I'm not sure. I mean, tall is defiantly a must. But dark, well, wouldn't that mean he would have to be from a foreign country? Like Africa, or Japan? You know, depending on what part of him is dark."_

"_Why would that be bad? You're not being racist are you?" he asked jokingly_

"_Of course not. What I mean is, we don't have any Asian or African people here in Oak Town. And we rarely get visitors, let alone people moving here. And somehow I doubt I'll have much opportunity to travel. So, my future husband would have to be someone…local…I guess."_

"_Oh" Tom brightened up. _

"_And he'll defiantly have to be handsome."_

"_Oh." Tom was sad again._

"_Kind of like you, maybe."_

"_Oh." Tom cheered up immensely, and blushed deeply. _

"_But I guess I'll never be able to predict what he'll be like. And it's like they always say, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and 'Love is blind'. Maybe that means I'll marry a blind man." 13 year old Jess was rather naive. _

_Tom was confused on how to feel, so he settled with changing the topic. "Hey, is that a Copper-crested Eagle?" he pointed out to the black dot on the horizon._

"_Whoa!" '_

I found myself once again in Tom's subconscious mind. I decided that I had seen enough, and turned to leave, when I was forced into yet another memory; but this time, I could relate to it.

'_Loud music played in the background. It was the Goddess Flower festival. The seven girls spun in unison, as according to the dance steps. _

'Hey, that's me!' I noticed myself. Viewing the scene through Tom's eyes, I noticed him focus on the spinning girl next to me. Jess.

_She spun faster and faster. Tom was enchanted. He couldn't look away. Suddenly the music ended, and Tom was left forlorn. He gazed at Jess longingly. She saw him watching and smiled at him. He smiled meekly, blushed lightly and looked away, but his thoughts never wavered. Jess was his world.'_

I found myself back in Tom's subconscious mind. Looking both ways carefully, I quickly made my escape, not wanting to get caught up in anymore memories. I blinked and found myself looking into a set of blue-grey eyes.

"Whoa!" I fell off my stool in surprise.

Tom looked confused.

"What?" I asked him.

"You've been staring at me for about 10 minutes now. It was pretty creepy." He replied.

"Oh sorry. I didn't mean to. I must have been day-dreaming. You know, off in my own little world." I lied.

"I hope I wasn't there. Because…you know...that would be weird." He seemed uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, it had absolutely nothing to do with you, Tom." I lied again.

"Oh, that's ok then." He looked relieved, "But you might have to explain that to Jess."

"Huh? Why? What happened?"

"She came in here about five minutes ago, saw you, and stormed out angrily. I've no idea why though, she's usually so happy. I've never seen her that angry before."

"Oh crap. I'd better go find her. Thanks for the water."

"No problem." he shrugged

"Before I go, I need to ask you a favour."

"What?"

"I can't explain it now, but I just need to know that you'll be there when I need you."

"Um, does this have anything to do with-" He looked uncomfortable again.

"No, it's nothing strange. And I promise you'll love it." I winked.

He looked sceptical, but then sighed. "Fine, I'll help, but it had better not be anything…you know."

"Don't worry, I know more than you realise." I said all-knowingly.

* * *

**Yep, chapter 9. As with most of the past "re-written" chapters (ha! why do i even bother using that label?) not much has changed. Why did I attempt my insane "re-writing" project in the first place? Well, i don't want to end up with 100 chapters, since shorter stories usually attract more readers (and come on, how many of would actually click in a story with more than 50 chapters? more than 20, even? I know i like short ones.), so I've compressed my shorter earlier chapters, which required everything following to move forward. And it gave me the opportunity to make smaller grammatical changes and such. **

**Anyways, thanks to kairi6353 for prompting me to update. Hopefully, I'll be motivated to get this story finished before too long. It's already in its 3rd year. I think I just take on too many simulations projects.**

**So, review if you like. I'd be nice. Thanks :)**


	10. The NonDate

C

hapter 10 – Phase Two: The Non-Date

Stepping out into the afternoon sun, I was blinded by the sudden intensity after being used to the murky darkness. And I felt more than a little drained from latest experiment.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" asked Kelly.

I looked down, surprised to see her there. "Where did you come from?"

"I've been with you the whole time."

"…right. I guess I forgot. Yes. I found exactly what I was looking for. And now we can being phase two of my plan."

"Phase two? What was phase one?"

"Looking in Tom's head. And now we begin phase two." I nodded smartly.

"What's phase two?"

"You'll see." I smiled with glee. Kelly was getting worried from the evil glint in my eyes. I lead the way back to the beach.

* * *

When we got there, I saw Jess, angrily tossing pebbles into the ocean. I silently told Kelly to stay put, and I approached my angry friend.

"Jess?" I asked cautiously,

"You! You have some nerve coming here!" she yelled at me.

"Please Jess, you don't understand-"

"I asked you to do one thing for me. One thing! Never have I asked you for anything else. But you couldn't help yourself, could you? You knew how I felt!"

To be honest, I thought she was overreacting a bit. I mean, all I was doing was staring. It's not like I had him topless behind the bar. "Jess, please –"

"And now I bet you're going to ask for forgiveness. Well guess what, buddy," she spat out the last word angrily, "It's not going to-"

"SHUT UP AND LISTEN" I yelled.

She seemed shocked at my sudden outburst. The moments' pause was all I needed.

"Jess, I have absolutely no interest in Tom. None what-so-ever."

"But-but-"

"None. N-O-N-E. I swear to you, on my life." I tried to convince her. If she was this touchy about Tom, how would she react when she found out about Josh? Perhaps she was much better off not knowing.

"…then what were you doing in the pub?" she asked forcefully.

"OK, there's something I need to tell you. It may be hard to believe, but I swear it's true." I sighed, deciding that it was the only way out of this mess.

She raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Go on"

"OK," I took a deep breath, "The Harvest Goddess, who lives in this pond in the forest, has done something and now I have these powers which I'm supposed to use to battle this 'unspeakable' evil which is apparently coming to destroy everything. And just then, I was using my new powers on Tom to go deep into his subconscious to find some information which will indirectly help me to defeat the big evil thing, who will apparently be here before the end of the year." I breathed out and gasped for air. It was only partly a lie. But revealing my grand plan to her now would ruin it.

"...oooookkkkkk…whatever you say, crazy person." she replied, clearly thinking I was insane, as I had expected she might react.

And I couldn't really blame her. I realised how crazy it must've sounded. It's funny how when you think things in your mind, it makes so much sense, but out loud, it sounds like you're a loon.

"Haven't you ever heard of the Harvest Goddess?" I asked, desperately.

"Well…I guess. I mean, my mother used to tell me and Josh stories about the Harvest Goddess when we were children. But they were just bed-time stories. There's _no way_ they could be real."

"Oh really. Well, how about I show you what I can do?" I offered, hoping that she might believe it if she saw something.

She looked at me sceptically, but gave in. "Fine, if you really can do these things you claim to do, prove it."

"With pleasure." I smiled.

I stood there, eyes closed, and tried to call upon the power I had felt before when practicing my magic. Feeling a connection to the water behind me, I raised my hands and guided some away from the sea. Opening my eyes, I saw the water, as a thin whip, spinning upon itself, becoming a loop. I did a few more tricks, twirling, freezing and melting, and some of the other moves that I used when I practiced. Jess was stunned. Here eyes were wide open and her jaw threatened to fall off.

"H-how did you d-do that?" she asked

"I told you I had powers." I shrugged

She recovered quickly. "What were you doing looking in Tom's mind?" she was suspicious again. I was surprised at how quickly she seemed to accept this huge revelation.

I considered the pros and cons of telling Jess the truth. I decided that if I did tell her the truth, it might lead to more questions, and the last thing I needed was her finding out the deep details of my plan, and the reason behind it all.

"Well?" she asked.

'_Funny how she can be sharp when it comes to her man. Good thing she's do dim when it comes to Josh.'_ I thought, smiling.

"How much do you like Tom?" I asked.

Jess blushed deep crimson. "Um…a lot."

"Perfect. What would you say if I told you that I could set you two up? As in, on a date. All romantic and the like?"

"Really? How?" she was stunned again, but this time, she wasn't angry.

"You mentioned a fireworks festival before?"

"Yeah, next week." she replied.

"If you do what I tell you, I promise that Tom will ask you out to the festival." I said confidently.

"What? How?"

"Oh, I have my ways. Now, are we friends again?"

Jess smiled. "Defiantly."

I smiled back. This was going to be easier than I thought.

* * *

The next few days ran smoother than I'd expected. I purchased some summer crops and had signed a contract with Benny, the carpenter, to expand my barn. Lucy the chicken was happily settled and laying eggs like crazy. I determined to get her a rooster-friend eventually. All my other animals were thriving in the warm summer sun. And my friendship with Jess had been fully restored. In fact, she had invited me out for drinks at the Inn, with a few other people whose names she mumbled quickly over the phone. So at 6 o'clock at night, after all my chores were done and all my animals tucked in for the night (including Kelly), I left my farm and made my way though the peaceful night-time town.

When I stepped into the Inn, I was temporarily blinded by the lights. The Inn was full of villagers, all drinking the night away. I was greeted by the sound of many happy people and laughter. I spotted Jess and some others on a table near the bar. They beckoned for me to come over.

"Here Simone, sit next to me and Josh." Jess said. I obeyed and sat in-between the twins. I looked around at the table. Dean and Tabitha were sitting on the other side of Josh, shyly exchanging glances, when they thought the other wasn't looking. Next to them sat Sam, who was deep in conversation with Luke, who would occasionally look at me and wink. Cass and Mel, who were seated next to them, were looking at me jealously. And they were then followed by Jess, which completed the circle.

"Where's the Doc and Aggie?" I asked Jess, vaguely remembering their names being mentioned over the phone.

"Don't you remember? I told you that they wanted a quiet night in. Aggie's been a bit anti-social lately. And she's been a bit shy too, especially when Dr. Blake is around. I reckon she likes him."

"Well duh." I said

"How did you know?" she asked

"I dunno, I guess I can just tell. Kind of how I know a certain bar-tender as a thing for you." I replied quietly, nodding to Tom who was busy serving behind the bar.

"Oh," Jess blushed. "Speaking of which, when were you going to set me up for the festival?"

"What are you two talking about?" asked Josh, suddenly keen on our conversation.

"Just shoe shopping." I replied. Josh entered a catatonic-like state as he zoned out.

I smiled. "Works every time."

"What was that?" asked Jess

"A little trick I picked up in New York," I grinned, "It's safe to talk now."

"Great, so when are you going to…you know, set us up. I don't want to seem overly eager or impatient, but it's been a long time and I'm too gutless to ask him myself." she admitted

"Jess, I know exactly how you feel. I was just like that with my first boyfriend back in high school. I had a crush on him for three years and was too spineless to ask him out. When I eventually did, it was awesome. He's been my best Ex so far."

"Why did you guys break up?" she asked

"The relationship got a little dull and we fell out of love. It was mutual. He just wasn't The One." I shrugged. "And about Tom, well, it's your lucky day."

I got up and walked over to the bar.

"Hey Tom, busy night?" I asked casually

"Yeah, Wednesdays are usually pretty busy. Almost as much as Saturday." He replied. "What can I get you?"

"Oh, just the usual."

"Water?"

"Actually, how about a vodka and lemonade?" I suggested

"…hmm, sure, whatever you want." he replied, raising an eyebrow, "I suppose you don't technically have a usual yet anyway."

"How many times do I have to order a drink for it to become a usual?" I asked

"I dunno, a couple times in a row. Do you want _this_ one to be your new usual?"

"Depends on how it tastes" I replied, ginning.

Tom smiled back, which was a first, and fetched my drink in record-breaking time. I guess he was wary of what might happen if he was distracted for too long.

"So, Tom, the fireworks festival is coming up." I started,

"Indeed it is." He replied carefully

"Are you going with anyone yet?" I asked with a cheeky wink, just to mess with his head.

I could see him start to panic.

"Because I know someone in need of an escort." I continued.

Sweat was running down his forehead this time.

"Ah, Simone, you're nice and all, but – "

"Geeze boy, hear me out. I was _going_ to say, that perhaps you'd better take…"

I paused for dramatic effect. It was working.

"Jess."

A wave of relief rushed over Tom's expression, but was quickly replaced with nervousness.

"Huh?"

I leaned forward. "Ok, Tommy boy, here's the thing. As Jess' new best friend, I know that she has a thing for tall, attractive, slightly older men who are moody, quiet, guarded and great with responsibility," I winked, "but the problem is, I can't find anyone like that to set her up with, so I've decided to set her up with you instead. You're the closest match I can find around here, being tall and quiet. Not too sure about the attractive part though," I smiled cheekily, "But I suppose different people have different tastes, if you catch my drift."

Tom was speechless, and seemed almost slightly peeved.

"So, I want you to go over to Jess, at some point between now and Friday, and ask her out. You can do it now if you want." I shrugged.

Tom finally regained his voice. "But I'm busy…working." He lied. I looked at him sceptically, and at the empty bar. He sighed and leaned forward and whispered, "And I'm afraid of asking her now, with all those…people around her."

"Don't worry, I know the feeling." I said, patting his arm sympathetically, "How about I arrange it that she's somewhere alone, and then you can go approach her?"

"What if she says no?" he asked, his eyes revealing fear.

"She won't, trust me on that one." I assured him.

He agreed, "Alright then. When and where? It'd better not be her bathroom or anything creepy like that."

"Damn…I mean, of course not." I mentally crossed out that option and decided to improvise, "Meet her tomorrow at midday, in the town square. She'll be there, so you'd better be there too."

Tom looked happier than he had been all night "Perfect. Thank you Simone."

"Don't thank me now; thank me when you're sucking her face off at the festival."

I smiled a final time, thoroughly pleased with my match-making abilities, before taking my drink and returning to the table, where Jess had been waiting.

"So, what happened?" she asked. I looked at Josh, who was still zoned out.

I thought for a moment. _Knowing Jess, she'll probably chicken out if I told her. Silly thing. _

"Nothing. I didn't really have a chance to talk about it."

She looked at me sceptically. "You were there for like ten minutes."

"Fine, we did talk about it, but if I told you it would ruin the surprise. And Tom would kill me if I told you that I told him to meet you in your bathroom tonight."

"What? Yeah right." She rolled her eyes.

I laughed nervously, "But enough about Tom. What about you and me? I feel as though we barely ever get to spend any time together anymore."

"That's because we don't. We're both busy working on our farms all the time. That's why I invited you out tonight."

"And I appreciate it, but how about we go on a picnic lunch tomorrow, at the Town Square. A…girls' day out? I'll bring the chocolate."

"Tomorrow midday? Sounds great, but what about my chores?"

"Don't worry, they'll be taken care of."

"How?" she asked

I smiled, "Lace bra."

Josh snapped back to reality. "Who's bra?"

"No ones. I need a favour." I replied.

"What?" he asked.

"You think you could do Jess' chores tomorrow as well as your own? She's gonna be busy."

"But we're not supposed to go out until we've finished our chores." Josh protested.

"Exactly why we need you to do hers." I reasoned

He looked unsure, "I dunno..."

"Aww, come on! Please?" I used my best puppy-dog eyes.

He hesitated, but then caved in. "Fine, but you guys owe me."

I gave Jess a high-five. _I so rock at this match-making thing_.

* * *

It was ten minutes before midday and I was positioned behind a large bush overlooking the town square. Feeling much like a spy from one of those James Bond movies, I looked through my binoculars as I saw Tom, slowly making his way down the northern entrance. I looked towards the western entrance, and I spotted Jess, carrying a picnic basket. Moments later, they both entered the square. Both people stopped to look at each other. Jess froze. I could tell she was panicking. Thinking quickly, I sent a message into her mind. _Go and ask him to join you for a picnic_. It was a technique not unlike telepathic subliminal messaging. And it worked. I watched gleefully as she walked up to Tom, her cheeks noticeably pink and her eyes adverted. Wanting to make sure she went though with it, I fine-tuned my hearing and focused on the pair.

"Um, Tom…did you…want to…g-go on a p-picnic……with me?" Jess asked in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.

Tom stared down at his feet nervously. "Yeah, I'd like that." he looked up at her and smiled. Jess smiled back. They walked awkwardly down the stairs and onto the beach. I followed them stealthily and dived into another bush on the edge of the sand.

They set up the picnic in awkward silence. Jess put down the basket and set out the blanket. Tom unpacked the food. They sat nervously on opposite sides of the blanket, eating the sandwiches, once again, in silence.

_This is getting nowhere, _I thought. I sent Jess another message. _Talk to him_.

_What do I say?_ I heard her ask mentally.

_Ask him how he is_, I suggested.

"So, Tom…how are you?" Jess asked.

Tom swallowed. "Fine. What about you?"

"I'm…good."

I rolled my eyes. This was taking way too long. I pointed my right hand and took control of a chunk of water from the near-by ocean shore. Then, I magically lifted it up and dropped it down, where splashed enough to wet the couple. Jess squealed and jumped into his arms. He embraced her, shielding her from the flying water. After the water had subsided, they opened their eyes. I expected them to be embarrassed and jump away, but, to my surprise, they didn't. For a while, they just stayed like that, looking into each others eyes.

_Now is a good time_, I mentally suggested to Tom.

"Jess…did you want to…" he began,

"Did I want to what?" she asked softly

"Go to the…Fireworks festival…with…me?"

Jess paused, stunned and thrilled at the same time. "Tom…I'd love to."

Tom then lent down and kissed her.

"Aww, that's so cute." I said, quietly to myself, since no-one else was there. Stealthily, I climbed out of the bush and ran back to my house. _My work is done_, I though, satisfied with my work for the day. On my way back home I passed Jess and Josh's farm. Josh was leaning casually against his fence, pitch-fork in hand. I came up to him.

"Hey Josh, did you manage alright without Jess?" I asked.

"Yes, it was fine. I actually finished early." he replied.

"Great."

"So, where's Jess?"

"Ah…I guess there's no point in not telling you, since everyone's going to know sooner or later - "

"Going to know what?" he asked, his expression suddenly very serious

I hesitated for a moment, looking nervously at the very sharp pitchfork he was holding. "Jess is on a date."

"A date?" His jaw dropped

"Yes," I replied, "with Tom."

Josh was speechless. "Wh…how?"

"_I_ set them up." I said proudly

"Why?" he didn't seem as thrilled about the idea as I was.

"Because they obviously both like each other, but were just too scared to say anything. I did what Jess would've wanted me to do, if she'd known I was behind it." I explained.

"Are they still on it now?" his eyes narrowed.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably. When I left, they were kissing. It was too cute!"

"Kissing?" Josh was outraged, "How dare he touch my sister!"

"Geeze Josh, relax. She's twenty years old. Jess is old enough to look after herself."

"But he's –"

"Don't go. If you interrupt, Jess'll hate you forever. Let her be happy." I reasoned

Josh looked defeated. "Fine. But if hear that he does anything – "

"You'll beat him up, I know. Stoping being so over-protective. Now, come on." I took his hand.

"Were are we going?" he asked, dropping the pitchfork in surprise.

"For a walk. I don't trust you not to run after them. I'm going to keep my eye on you myself."

Josh let me pull him past the farms and into the forest. Once there, we found the spot on the back of the river where we had gone fishing, back in spring. We sat down, watching the water run past.

"The thing I can't get over is the fact that she's on a date with one of my closest friends. It's…strange." Josh admitted, after a while of sitting in silence.

"Normally that would be, but you're twins. Her friends are your friends and vice versa. Try to think of it more as her going out with one of _her_ friends."

He thought about it for a moment. "I still don't like it."

"You'll learn to eventually. But enough about them; how are you? We haven't really talked in a while."

"I know. That's because we've both been busy."

"Hmm." I agreed, "So, you know that fireworks festival is coming up."

"Yeah. That's always fun. Fireworks are awesome."

"I know. Hey, who are you going with?"

Josh looked uncomfortable. "Well, actually, I'm going with Bec."

"Bec?" I couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, she asked me last week."

"Oh." I was crushed.

"So, who are you going with?" he asked, looking at me directly, completely unaware of the effect his words had had.

"Me? Oh, I'm going with…" I didn't want to seem desperate, so I quickly went though a list of all the boys who would likely go with me. It came down to one. "Luke."

"Luke?" he asked doubtfully

"Oh yes, I'm going to the fireworks festival with Luke." I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth.

"I see." was all Josh said. Suddenly, there was an awkward silence.

I looked at my watch. "Well, wouldn't you know it? It's One o'clock. I had better run and feed my...cat. She likes an early dinner." I lied quickly.

"Oh, that's alright. I have to go and…set out my clothes for tomorrow. Gotta be organised," Josh smiled meekly.

"Ok then, see you later." I said before dashing off towards my farm.

"Yeah, bye." he replied, running back to his.

Back on my farm, I ran straight though it, heading towards the other exit.

_Where do you think you're going?_ asked Tabby, looking up sleepily.

"Ah, I just lied to Josh and now he's going to think I'm a desperate looser if I don't ask Luke to the fireworks festival." I replied quickly.

_Right then_. She said, before going back to sleep.

I ran all the way to the beach, detouring to avoid Josh's farm in case he saw me. At the beach, I found Jess and Tom's picnic abandoned. I began to worry where they had gone, but then saw them in the water, splashing each other. _Aww_, I thought again. _No, pay attention. Where's Luke? _

I quickly made my way to the beach shack and went inside. The cool air-conditioning was the first thing I noticed. Almost shivering, I went up to the bar and collapsed on the bar stool, trying desperately to think of a plan. Moments later Luke strutted out. He winked at me and leant on the bar.

"What brings you to my shack, Simone?" he asked, full of the kind of confidence that made me want to slap his cocky face for being so…cocky.

I sighed. "You, actually."

He looked shocked. "Really? Why is that? Couldn't keep away from my rugged good looks?"

I rolled my eyes. "Hardly. But, I _was_ wondering if you would go to the fireworks festival with me."

Once more, he looked shocked. "Sure, I shall escort you to the most romantic celebration of the season." he grinned.

"Look here pal, don't you get any ideas. I'm only asking you because…I don't have anyone else to go with." I said quickly. It wasn't technically a lie. I _didn't_ have anyone else to go with, but if it hadn't been for Josh, I would've been happy going alone.

"Oh, I'm hurt. Are you saying you aren't going with me for me?" he mocked insult.

"'fraid not. Will you still go with me?" trying to keep things as business-like as possible, when you're asking out the town's biggest self-proclaimed 'ladies-man'.

"Sure. I guarantee by the end of the night, you'll wonder why you didn't ask me earlier." he said, his voice full on innuendo.

_What am I getting myself into?_ I thought. "Great. See you there then?"

"Indeed you shall." he winked again.

I quickly got up and left before he tried anything else.

I walked slowly back to the farm, definitely _not_ looking forward to the festival.

* * *

**And thats chapter 10. Yay, it's done. Only 3 more "old" ones to go until i'm up to posting new chapters. Then, hopefully, you might see some increase in the quality. Hopefully. **

**Thanks to everyone who hasn't given up on this monster brain-child of mine. I know it's bearly even "fanfiction", and i don't know what I was thinking when i came up with this idea. But i'll be damned if i'm going to just abandon it. I say it shall be completed, and by god, it shall be completed, no matter how much of a fail it may be. I'm just *that* determined. **

**Well, later, and thanks so much if you are one of those kind people who take pity on me and this mess, and actually leave a review. It's really nice of you. :)**


	11. The Fireworks Festival

Chapter 11 – The Fireworks Festival

It was dark. The smell of brimstone was strong. Fire danced along the cave walls. In the middle of the room was a large stone throne, carved with the likeness of demons and horned underworld dwellers. And upon that throne sat a powerful figure. His presence was overwhelming. His black, soulless eyes gazed upon the room around him. _Finally, the time had come. After countless millennia of waiting, it is almost here._ His eyes fell to stare at the bundle at his feet. The demon stood up.

"My lord." She acknowledged.

He did not reply.

"Is it time yet?" she asked.

"Almost." his voice rasped from un-use.

"My Lord –" She stared.

"Patience. Soon, the time of Samhein will arrive and the gates will open. Then, we shall begin our plans, the four horsemen shall ride, and the world will finally be ours." he concluded dramatically.

The demon nodded her head in obedience.

A smile crept on his face. "The world will be ours." he repeated.

* * *

I awoke, not for the first time, with a start. The nightmare had been almost as bad my last one, the one where everyone I knew was dead. Sweat dripped down my forehead. Kelly looked up, having been woken by my rapid breathing.

'_What's wrong.?_' She asked.

Tabby looked up too, slightly grumpy that she had been woken up.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream." I replied groggily. The image of his creepy smile still haunted me.

'_Do you want to talk about it?_' Tabby asked, concerned.

I shuddered. Was it a premonition? A scene from an event elsewhere in the world? Or just a dream? Either way, that nightmare was the scariest thing I'd seen since the other one.

"No. I'll be fine. Go back to sleep." I mumbled, lying back down. Kelly and Tabby exchanged glances, but went back to sleep. I turned onto my side, dreading what awaited beyond the waking world.

* * *

It was the day before the fireworks festival and I was both excited and dreading it at the same time. I was happy for Jess and Tom, and for Tabitha and Dean (who I had seen giggling childishly while walking to the library), but I was dreading seeing Josh and Bec. The thought of them together was almost sickening. I was furious with jealousy. And Luke's antics weren't likely to make matters any better.

I groaned at the direction things had turned. My dream was still haunting my memory. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his smile and heard his words echoing though my mind. "_The world will be ours_." I wanted answers. And so, that is why I was standing at the Goddess Pond, a daisy in hand, ready to get them.

I threw it in. The daisy made a light splash and moments later, the familiar green-haired woman appeared.

"Simone! How lovely to see you. How are you doing?" she asked, cheerful as always.

"Not so good. I had this dream." I told the Goddess all about my dream. Once I was finished, the Goddess was scowling.

"Hmm, this is as I expected."

"It is bad?"

"Yes. What you saw was the face of the Unspeakable Evil, and his minion. It is them who you must face in the winter."

"On Halloween?"

"Yes, on Halloween." she confirmed

"You didn't tell me that there were two of them." I replied

"I didn't tell you much at all. But I wasn't completely sure of half the details myself. This is the first time _I've_ heard all this." she admitted.

"But you said it was as you expected!" I reminded her.

"I _did_ expect this. But there is a difference between knowing and expecting."

"…So, what now?" I asked, not feeling very confident at all.

"There's little we can do until winter other than keep up your training. How've you been going with that?"

"Great. Water and fire are as easy as breathing to manipulate, and wind is just as simple. Earth is proving more stubborn, but I've been experimenting and have discovered that I can control some of the other elements my combining what I know about the basic ones. Like lightning for example."

"Very good. What about the others?"

"Telepathy is coming along great, and I can heal just about everything. What else is there?"

"Hmm, well, let's see…you've already mentioned your prowess in language and communication, so, I think that's it. Once you master all of those abilities and the related skills, we'll have to start your combat training. I hate to rush you, but I'd like to begin that by no later than the start of Autumn."

"That's quite a lot. Are you sure you've got the right girl? I mean, I'm just some normal, boring 19-year old. Before I came here there was nothing special about me, well, not really, anyway." I told the Goddess

"I'd love to answer all your questions, my child, but I'm afraid that now it not yet the time. But don't worry, everything will happen in due time." she reassured me, "Including Josh."

I looked up startled. "Huh? Josh? What do you mean?"

"Please, I'm a Goddess," she replied, "it's no secret that you like him. But because he's with Bec now, you fear that your chances are gone. But don't loose hope, Simone dear. Everything will work out in the end. Soul mates will always come together eventually."

I could barely believe my ears. "Are you saying that –"

"I am saying that you shouldn't loose hope. There is little else that I am allowed to tell you at this point. Just remember to keep up your training and remember your mission. It's the most important thing there is. You _must not_ fail the mission." she said sternly

"But –"

"You must not fail the mission." The goddess called as she disappeared back to her watery home.

I stared back into the water. Once again, the Harvest Goddess had left me with more questions. At least I knew what my dream meant, but it didn't make it any easier. If anything, the knowledge was more frightening than before.

* * *

The Fireworks Festival was the highlight of summer. Everyone had been looking forward to it. Everyone, that is, except for me. I'd been hopeful before that it might be chance to strengthen my relationship with Josh, but now I simply saw it as a source of pain. Even the Goddess' words didn't help; they were as vague and unhelpful as usual. I sighed (again) as I sat in my dining chair, waiting for Luke to pick me up. He'd chased me down the day before and given this whole speech on doing it properly and wanting to escort me to the beach like a gentleman. I'd been in no mood to argue. So now, I was just sitting there, eyes on my clock, waiting for Luke to arrive.

"_Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"_ asked Kelly

"I'm sure." I smiled. "You wouldn't like it."

Kelly shrugged and lay back down, willing to sleep until I came back.

"_Remember to call us if anything happens_." Tabby said.

I smiled at her concern. "Thanks Tabbs, I will." I rubbed behind her ears. Tabby purred contently, but I was interrupted by a knock at the door. I quested out with my telepathy, and discovered that it was Luke. _Of course_ it was Luke. But ever since my dream, I'd been kinda jumpy. Even though I wasn't supposed to have to fight until winter, I wasn't going to take any chances.

I got up and opened the door. Luke's pre-planned cheesy grin disappeared. "Wow, you look _hot_!" he wolf whistled, looking at my loose, light-blue strapless top and black mini skirt. Jess had come over earlier and insisted on picking out my outfit for me, having heard about my "date". She'd told me how disappointed she was that I didn't tell her earlier, but seemed too distracted to dwell on it.

"I guess you're looking forward to this as well." he winked.

I smiled slightly. "Probably not for the same reasons you are." I replied wearily.

His brow creased in confusion, but it quickly disappeared. "So, shall we?"

I sighed, "Lead the way."

* * *

The beach was crowded. The sun still hadn't set yet, but couples were already sitting on picnic blankets, snuggling, caught up in the moment. I spied Jess and Tom sitting far out from everyone else, making the most of what privacy they had from that distance. Luke led me to a bright yellow and red blanket, near his beach cafe. We sat down, more distanced that the other couples. I spotted Josh and Bec a few blankets away. She was playing with his hair while he lay back, seemingly distracted.

I shifted my gaze to the rest of the crowd. Everyone had coupled up. Aggie and Blake were sitting at an appropriate 'employer – employee' distance. Even Sam and Cass were sitting together, although their positions said "just friends". A quick skimming of their thoughts said that they were only doing it for each others sake, without any mutual affection on either side, but something told me it might be kept much deeper down than I had time to explore.

James and Mel looked pretty comfortable, with Mel leaning back onto his chest, gazing dreamily at the sunset. All of the towns' youth were there, even if not everyone was in a "romantic" relationship.

"…Simone?"

I turned back quickly, only now realising that Luke had been talking.

"Huh? What were you saying?" I asked.

"I asked what you think of our little festival?"

"Oh, um…it's nice...I mean, I've never been to a beach to watch fireworks before. Except for New Years' about six years ago. But never _just_ for the sake of watching fireworks."

"Well, everyone looks forward to our festival. It's pretty special." he raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"I hope you're not getting any ideas. Just because fireworks are considered an aphrodisiac, by some deranged people, doesn't mean you're going to score. Remember why I told you I'm here."

"Ok, ok, I heard you." he said, without conviction. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, pulling a bottle of champagne and two glasses out of seemingly nowhere.

"Ok." I shrugged, watching him critically. I didn't trust him not to try something to get in my pants. But to my surprise, he opened the bottle and poured the two glasses in front of me, without any "glass disappears and she's none the wiser" tricks. He handed me a glass. It smelled normal, so I bravely took a sip. It tasted un-tampered with too. Taking the benefit of the doubt, I took a swig. Luke looked pretty pleased with himself.

"I know what you're thinking, Mister, and let me tell you, it's going to take a lot more than one glass to make me drunk." I told him. It took at least four or five glasses to impair my judgement. I had the most resistance to alcohol than any other girl I knew. He looked slightly disappointed.

"And probably more than you have in that bottle." I added.

The disappointment flashed on and off quickly. "Don't worry, babe, I won't need alcohol to make you see how magical this night is." he winked.

_This guy is such a try-hard._ I thought bitterly. _If only he knew that girls like real men who don't hide behind sleazy agendas and bottles of champagne_.

I looked up at the sunset. It was almost completely submerged in the ocean. Soon, it would be dark.

I sat there, sipping my champagne (which Luke _kindly_ offered to refill). I looked at him completely, for the first time. He wore black denim jeans and a nice white shirt, of which the top three buttons were left undone, hinting at muscles. He _really_ thought he had a chance with me. _Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea_. I thought. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Megan and Jerry, the Wine makers, with their baby, Joy, happily sitting on Megan's lap, while her father tickled her. The happy family moment seemed out of place amongst all the couples. It was like the after-shot amongst many before-shots.

Suddenly, the sun was gone completely, and we were submerged in darkness, the dark clouds in the distance covering the pinks of the sky.

The Mayor got up on a little platform and with a loudspeaker in hand, and addressed the town.

"Welcome to our annual Fireworks Festival." he announced, "As you all know, it's a tradition here to celebrate the hight of summer with fireworks, and to renew our devotion to the Harvest Goddess. And many of you use it as an excuse to renew romances." Several people laughed at the last comment, even though it wasn't very funny.

"And now, with no further delay, I give you, the Fireworks!"

And as predicted, the first round of rockets flew into the air and exploded fantastically, raining into the sea. I watched them for a moment. They were pretty good.

Subconsciously, my eyes fell from the display in the sky to Josh and Bec on the beach. She was all over him. And he didn't seem to be fighting back. Tears and anger welled up. I should have expected something like this, but it still hurt. When she pulled away, I saw Josh quickly scan the crowd. Our eyes met. I glared. _So, it this how you want to play, eh?_ I thought bitterly. Without really thinking it through, I reached over to Luke and pulled him towards me. I kissed him. His surprise quickly melted away. It was if he had been waiting for this the whole night, and come to think of it, he probably was. I felt my lips part as I ran my hand through his hair. I was so caught up in the moment (picturing someone else and almost forgetting who it was I was kissing) that I almost didn't notice when he ran his hand up my thigh, over my arse, and to my back. It took me a few moments to realise that he was fumbling with the clasp of my bra. That was where I drew the line.

I pushed him off of me.

"Ok, I think you're had enough." I said, trying my best to keep my voice even.

He gave me a confused look. But then it cracked into a wolfish grin. "I knew you'd come around." he said, moving towards me to continue where we left off.

I pushed him back more forcefully. "No. Not now. Not here." I said, saying the wrong thing. He gave me a look that said. '_Oh, I get it. later_.' he winked. I mentally groaned at my stupidity. _What the hell did I just do? _

I looked back at Josh. He was staring at me furiously. _What's he so mad about?_ I thought, _Bec not as easy as everyone thinks?_

I glared back at him.

I was distracted as Luke put his arm around me. I couldn't be bothered correcting him, realising that I'd already taken things too far. I looked up and managed to catch the finale of the fireworks. Twelve large firecrackers shot up simultaneously and exploded in an explosion of colour. After the last of the lights died out and fell into the sea, I saw the other people start to get up. It was over. Luke looked into my eyes. I was too afraid to skim his thoughts, afraid at what I might find.

"Shall I escort you back to your home?" he asked, his eyes full of suggestions. I panicked and answered with a shrug, covered with indifference. I was going to play this cool.

We got up and Luke gathered up his blanket and the champagne, quickly stashing them on the porch of his beach café. He walked back to me and offered his arm with suave manners and I once again, allowed myself to be led.

* * *

We were standing on the porch of my house, right in front of my door. I opened it and started to go inside. He looked at me, expectantly.

"Look, Luke, I think you got the wrong idea at the beach –" I started.

"I think I got the _right_ idea." he said, winking.

_Oh crap_. "No really, you got the _wrong_ idea. I'm not going to invite you in."

He frowned. "Why not?"

"Because…my dog's in there, and she really doesn't like strangers." I said, hoping he's get the hint.

He didn't. "That's ok. What about your barn? Or the stable? I'd always imagined it would be kinky –"

"And traumatise my animals for life? Are you crazy?" I couldn't believe he'd even suggested that. "No, Luke, I'm _not_ inviting you…anywhere…because," I took a deep breath, "I'm not going to sleep with you."

He looked annoyed. "But…on the beach…why?"

"Well, firstly, I'm not a slut. I don't sleep with _anyone_ on the first date. And secondly, I don't really feel that way about you." It had sounded pathetic in my head too.

"But, you kissed me!" he said, desperately.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Luke looked sincerely dejected. "Why not?"

"Why is it so hard to believe that I don't like you?"

"Because…everyone likes me!"

I sighed. "Well _I_ don't. Please Luke, I'm sorry I led you on. But, just go. I'm tired. We can talk about it in the morning?"

He looked like he wanted to say more, but kept his mouth shut and left.

* * *

Inside, I closed the door and started banging my head against it. "Stupid, stupid girl!" I said.

'_What happened?_' asked Kelly

"I kissed him." I replied.

'_You what?_'

"I know. It was stupid."

'_Simone, I hope you realise what you've done. Remember what happened when you kissed Dan, back in New York?_' Tabby reminded me.

"He preposed a week later. I remember. But I doubt Luke's going to pull out a ring next time I see him."

'_Actually, in this town men prepose with a feather from the great and rare Blue Mountain Eagle, which only comes to nest on the top of the mountain for one day a year_,' Kelly told me.

I shook my head, temporarily forgetting their strange small-town customs and focusing back on my problem.

"What am I going to do?" I asked them.

'_Explain it to him._' suggested Tabby, wise as usual.

"And say what? 'I only kissed you to make Josh jealous'? That sounds so shallow and selfish!"

'_Well, it was pretty selfish to take advantage of his feelings like that_.' reminded Tabby.

'_Yeah, and I think he _really_ actually likes you._' said Kelly.

I winced. _What have I done?_ "I just crushed him, didn't I?"

'_Probably.'_ replied Kelly.

'_But you can fix it. Just give me time to work out a plan._' offered Tabby.

'_Yeah, leave it to us. Go get some sleep. But have a shower first. I don't want any sand on the bed._' Kelly instructed.

I obeyed and took a shower before going to bed. But surprisingly, it wasn't Luke's dejected look that haunted me that night; it was Josh's angry glare.

* * *

**Chapter 11. I only have 1 more "old-slightly-refurbished" chapter in the waiting, before the new stuff. Thats something to look forward to, i guess. I've stopped worrying about not getting too much attention here, because the few people who actually do like this fic make it** **worth writing for. And you, you guys are going to get a mention, in thanks, for sticking with me and this AU insanity: mandapanda84, and kairi6353. Thanks, guys :D Your review definitly make writing this somewhat worth it. Well, more the uploading part. I like writing it, but you make uploading it seem worth it :D whatever. Thanks. **

**Untl next chapter...later guys, and if anyone else wants to add reviews too, i'd love to hear it. ;D**


	12. The Break Up

* * *

Chapter 12

– The Break Up

After finishing my chores early the next morning as usual (being the efficient person I am), I went into the village to see what was happening. There was a romantic air around the town with everyone buzzing after the festival. I'd just gotten to the store when Jess stepped out. She smiled and came up to me.

"Hey, Simone, what did you think of the festival last night?" she asked

"It was…alright." I answered, thinking of the incident.

"From what I saw, it was more than alright." she winked.

"No, you don't understand –"

"When were you going to tell me that you're that serious with him? As your best friend, shouldn't I be the first person to know?"

"But –"

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Yes, but that's not –"

"Has he stayed over yet? How long have you two been going out?"

"No, and last night was our first date, but Jess –"

"Making out on the first date? You slut." she punched me affectionately.

"Jess, listen – "

"Hey, could you do me a favour?"

I sighed and gave up trying to explain. "Sure, what is it?"

"Could you go see what's wrong with Josh? He's been weird ever since last night and he won't talk to me about it."

"What makes you think he'll talk to me?" I asked

She shrugged. "He seems to like you."

I was startled.

"As a friend." She added, her eyes slightly narrowing at my reaction.

"Yes, of course. How else?" I laughed nervously.

"Well, I've gotta go. Tell me what you find out, ok?" and with that, Jess skipped back to her farm.

I stood there watching her disappear around the corner. _Great, now Josh is acting weird._ I'd forgotten why I was heading to the store in the first place, and so I walked to the blacksmith. Just as I was about to reach for the doorhandle, when the door swung open. Josh stepped out holding a shiny new Hoe. _Ha, what coincidence, reminds me of Bec_, I thought.

"Hey Josh." I said, faking a friendly voice. I was still annoyed and hurt from yesterday.

"Hey." he grunted back. He tried to push past me. I stopped him.

"You know, we really don't talk as much as we used to." I said, conversationally. I really didn't want to do this, but Jess was depending on me.

"I know." he sounded uninterested.

I persisted. "Why do you think that is?"

"I dunno." he was playing hard ball.

I glared at him.

"Stop glaring at me."

"Well, now you know how _I_ feel." I retorted.

"Yeah, well, you didn't need to be so public yesterday. Most people wait until they're in their own homes."

"You could've told that to Bec."

"That's different."

"How?"

Josh didn't respond.

I couldn't think of anything to say either...That's a lie. There were many things that I _was_ considering to say. Things like "_There's nothing between Luke and me, I really like _you." and, "_Bec's a slut. Take me instead_." There were others, but they aren't really appropriate enough to mention. And I doubted they would've been right for that moment.

I sighed. "Sorry for bothering you. Jess just wanted me to see what was wrong."

His expression softened. "I'm sorry too. I should just leave you and Luke alone."

I was stunned. This was the first time he had actually admitted that he was jealous of Luke. Before I could say anything, he said "I'd better go. The horses need brushing."

I watched him leave.

It wasn't until too late that I regained control and thought to yell out to him, correcting his assumptions. _Damn_. I'd suddenly forgotten _again_ why I was in the town anyway. So, I went back to the farm. There were always books I could read at home.

* * *

A few days later, I found Jess waiting for me, sitting on one of the chairs on my porch, which I had put out there the other day when I was bored.

"Morning Jess." I greeted my unexpected visitor

"Hey. Love the new furniture." she replied

"It isn't new. Just some old chairs I found in the basement. Which I discovered yesterday."

"Still, they're nice."

"Hmm." I agreed. "So, I take it you didn't come over just to try out my new chairs."

"But you just said they weren't new." she reminded me

"Um, that's besides the point." I replied

"Ok, you got me." She admitted, putting on a serious tone, "I'm here because after you talked to Josh the other day, he was worse than ever."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before his was all angsty and distant, kind of like when we were teenagers, but now he's moody, angsty, depressed _and_ distant, _exactly_ like he was when we were teenagers. You've made him regress five years!" she exclaimed.

"Oh." I replied quietly.

"What exactly did you say to him?"

"I said…some stuff." I replied, attempting to dodge the question

"What did you say?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes.

"Look, I can't remember, that was two days ago." I lied. The conversation was still crystal clear in my mind.

Jess shook her head. "Fine, don't tell me. But he'd better shake out of it soon."

"Yeah, I hope so too."

Jess started to leave, but turned back. "Just so you know, he dumped Bec."

I could only watch speechlessly as she left, but on the inside a spark of hope was ignited once more.

* * *

Later that day, following Kelly and Tabby's brilliant plan, I went to the beach to find Luke. I hadn't seen him since the festival and as much as I didn't want him to get any ideas, I couldn't just leave him all depressed. Every time I thought about it, I couldn't shake the way he looked when I crushed him.

I found Luke in his café. He was trying to fix the espresso machine.

"Hey Luke."

He turned around. "Oh. _You_."

"Look, I'm really sorry about what I said the other day."

"You are?" he asked sceptically

"I didn't want to hurt you. I can't stop thinking about how sad you looked." I confessed.

He smiled weakly. "You've been thinking about me, eh?"

"It's not like that." I said quickly

"_Right_." he didn't believe me.

_Oh crap, I've done it again. I've given him hope_.

"Don't you worry, Simone, I haven't given up on winning you yet."

"Well, maybe you should."

"And let such a great kisser go? Only a crazy person would do something like that."

_Or someone who doesn't want to get hurt_. "You think I'm a great kisser?" I asked, surprised

"Sure. Did you want to try again and see?" he winked.

"Ah, I'd better not. The entire town already thinks we're going out."

"Aren't we?"

"We've had one date! And I'm not so sure it even _counts_ as a date." I reminded him

"One date is all _I_ need."

"Did you really achieve so much from one date?"

"You can't stop thinking about me. That's something."

"It's not like that." I tried to correct him

"Then tell me what its like." he became serious for a moment.

I sighed, "It's…hard to explain…Look, I'm sorry that I did what I did."

"I'm not."

"But I can't lie to you." I continued.

"You could try."

"No, I _can't_. Because then I would be lying to myself too. Luke, I don't feel that way about you. I don't like you like that. I really don't."

"Then, why did you kiss me?" he asked in a small voice.

"I…to make someone jealous." I finally confessed.

"Oh. I see." he looked devastated.

"I'm really sorry I used you, Luke. I didn't think things through. It was a lapse in judgement. I never meant to hurt you." I pleaded. I've never been in a situation like this before. It was difficult.

He couldn't meet my eyes.

"Please believe me. I would _never_ have intentionally hurt you."

He continued to gaze at his shoes.  
"I'd still like to be friends." I suggested.

"Friends?" he looked up.

"Sure. You seem like nice guy."

He breathed in deeply. "I think I could _manage_ being just friends."

I sighed in relief. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I mean, I like you, but I'd rather be friends than not be _anything_ to you."

"I'm glad you're ok with that." I sighed in relief.

"And if you want to make this guy a little _more_ jealous, we could do that too."

"What? You mean fake dates and kisses even if it means nothing?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'll take what I can get."

I smiled. _Perhaps having a man-slut around could be useful_. "I may take you up on that, but don't hold your breath."

"I'm glad that's sorted." he smiled.

"Me too." I hugged him, in the most mutual way I could.

"Who were you trying to make jealous anyway?" he asked after we pulled apart.

"Huh?"

"Who's the lucky bastard that's stolen your heart?"

I hesitated, "Oh, well, I dunno. I haven't told _anyone_ this yet. Not even Jess."

"If I'm going to help you make him jealous, it would be helpful to know who he is." he pointed out.

"Ok, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. And I mean _anyone_."

"What is this? High School?"

"Shut up. Just promise." I laughed.

"Ok, I promise. Scouts honour."

"You were in the scouts?"

"Long story." he dismissed

"Ok."

"Just tell me."

"Alright. I like……Josh." _'Wow that does sound as lame as in high school'_

"Josh?"

"Yeah, what about it?" I became defensive

"Nothing. Just surprised, that's all. You know he just broke up with Bec, right?"

"I know, Jess told me."

"Then it must have worked." he replied

"What did?"

"What we did at the festival."

"You really think that's why they broke up?"

"I'd say I'm pretty confident. I saw it myself."

"You did?"

"Yeah, happened right here."

"Oh! Tell me about it." I said excitedly.

"OK, well, they came in arguing over something. Bec was all like '_you're so annoying! All you ever talk about is the farm, And her! Can't you take an interest in me?_' and he was like '_Maybe if you were more interesting I would take an interest'_"

"Oh, ouch" I replied, but finding this better than watching a soap opera.

"And then she was said '_If you think I'm so uninteresting, why do don't you just break up with me?_' and then Josh said '_Why not indeed_!' and she was like, '_Are you breaking up with me?_' and he said '_Yes I am. Bec, we're though. Consider yourself dumped_.' and she was like, '_What? You can't dump me! No one dumps Rebecca Michaels_' and he said, '_Well I just did_.' and she shouted, '_No, you can't, because…I'm dumping you._' but by that time, Josh had already left. And _I_ said. '_Maybe you should just leave it before you loose your dignity too_.' and then she glared at me and said '_Shut up beach boy! It's your girlfriend who just ruined my relationship_!' and I said '_Do you realise how pathetic it is to try and dump the person who already dumped you_?' and she gave me the finger and stormed out. You know, come to think of it, Bec is pretty hot when she's pissed off."

"Are you sure that's what happened?" I asked

"Word for word." he confirmed,

"Thanks for telling me Luke. I can't believe they broke up because of me. That's so awesome!" I was overjoyed

"So, you don't feel guilty at all?" he asked

"'course not. Bec's a sleazy, easy bitch. He's _way_ too good for her." I replied

"Simone, I never knew you could be so ruthless!" he said,

"Does it make you regretful that we're not together, or glad?"

"Regretful, definitely." he smiled.

"Thanks for all this, Luke. I really appreciate it."

"No worries. Just don't forget who to go to whenever you feel like causing some trouble," Luke winked.

I laughed. "Sure thing. Anyway, I'd better go. Tabitha will kill me if I don't return my library books."

"Yeah, because homicide is _really_ in her nature." he replied sarcastically

* * *

**Blegh, chapter 12. I have mixed emotions about it. But it's done. Yay! finally up to date. Remind me to never attempt a re-write of anything like that again. All in all, i don't think it actually achieved much. *sighs* oh well. Bad news now is that the updates will probably take a bit more time, since rather than worrying about me forgetting to update, it'll be a matter of me forgetting to write....but hopefully that won't be much of a problem. The next chapter is already half done. Maybe i can get on a roll and write a whole bunch of chapters in advance. Thats usually works well. **

**Thanks to the following reviewers: mandapanda84 and kairi6353 (once again, you're all awesome)**

**Anyways, R&R, and see ya'll next time ;D**


	13. Why Me?

_**A/N: Chapter 13, wherein the Goddess isn't very helpful. **_

* * *

Chapter 13 – Why me?

After my reconciliation with Luke I was feeling much better. And the news about Josh had been better than that time I received a car for my birthday. So when I woke up the next morning, I was feeling more optimistic about it all than I had all year. After finishing all my work on the farm for the day (after so long it was becoming a really simple routine), I decided to chill out somewhere for some "me" time.

So I went to the quietest place I could think off; the Goddess Pond.

That was why I was laying on the soft green grass in the clearing, about an hour later, soaking up the warmth of the sun as it crept though the canopy above. It was so peaceful.

"Did you want something, dear?" asked a voice suddenly.

I cracked one eye open to see the Harvest Goddess looking right at me, resting her elbows on the waters' edge.

"Why are you here? I didn't throw anything in the pond." I asked.

"What, you think I'm some kind of vending machine where I only come out when you give me something? Please, I live here. And I come and go as I please." she replied

"Then why do you wait for people to throw flowers?"

"…is it so wrong for a girl to want flowers? I _like_ getting offerings." She confessed, "Now, why are _you_ here?"

"…ah…ok, well, I _was_ wondering something," I admitted.

"Don't hold back, dear, what is it?" she asked.

I took a deep breath and mentally arranged the thoughts that had been bugging me for the past few days into some ask-able questions. "Why am _I_ supposed to get these powers? What makes me so special? And what exactly does it make me, having these abilities? Some kind of hero or something?"

"Looks like you're on the right track already," The goddess smiled, "Let me tell you something that very few other people in the world know; let me tell you about _destiny_."

"I know what destiny is." I told her

"I know you think you do, but there's much more to it than what is commonly understood by humans. So hush up and listen."

She cleared her throat dramatically. "Ok, now, you see, Destiny is a funny thing. The future itself is largely undetermined. There are very few things in life that are "_destined_" to absolutely happen. And in most cases, that is your date of death. When you die is usually determined from the moment you are born, and the only thing that can change that is something really powerful, like ancient or powerful magic, or the will of the gods, but it doesn't happen very often."

"When am I going t-"

"Trust me dear, you don't want to be burdened by that kind of information." the Goddess said quickly, "Anyway, everything else in the future comes up under a series of possibilities. And the choices a person makes in their life can either increase or decrease the possibility of a future event. Such as, going up to talk to that cute guy in your maths class will slightly increase the possibility that you two will start a relationship, and slightly decrease the chances of him getting together with another girl. Every little decision counts. And people's destinies generally intertwine with others, so what you decide might affect the destiny of someone else as well as yourself.

"And you, Simone, were born with the possibility to become the Heroine for this town, and facing the coming Evil. There were in fact five of you all born with this possibility. But you were the first person who made the decision to come here, and when you did, your fate of becoming something great was sealed, and for the other four people, the possibility disappeared. So, this is not just some random chance that it's happening to you, dear, you were essentially destined to develop these powers and face the battles ahead. You _are_ special."

I was struggling to get my head around these wild new concepts. "Ok, so, can you tell me more about this hero business? Like, more about these 'powers' I'm supposed to get? You still haven't really told me much about it so far."

"Fair enough, you've reached the point where I can tell you a bit more. As the heroine, the official powers you are to develop and master are, firstly, Telepathy…"

"Does that include moving objects with my mind?" I asked

"No, not Telekinesis. You only get to read minds and speak telepathically, but you can talk freely with anyone, as I'm sure you know now, since you've been speaking to your animals, and have sent your friends messages as well. With practice, you'll be able to have complete conversations with everyone. But I expect it will come as a shock to most people, so perhaps you should just stick with close friends, such as Jess, for now, ok?"

"Sure. I hardly want to be thrown out of the village for being a witch." I replied, wearily recalling my yr 12 study of the Salem Witch trials in _The Crucible_.

The goddess nodded. "Another of your abilities is healing. This is a _very_ important power. Being able to heal, like you can, has the ability to postpone death and cure conditions that would usually be deemed hopeless to the standards of modern medicine. You saw it for yourself when you perfectly healed that bird who would otherwise have died just a few moments later. It's quite remarkable."

"Looks like I'll never have to pay another medical bill again then," I replied cheerfully.

The goddess smiled, "Indeed. But being able to save lives is a great responsibility, and also quite a burden. You can only heal one or two people at a time, and ordinarily, this isn't an issue, but in a battle situation, you may find that there are just too many lives, and you can't reach them all. That is when you will have to make some tough decisions as to who will live and die."

I felt a chill run down my spine as she said those words. "I'm not so sure I want that kind of responsibility."

"I'm afraid you have no choice. The only advice I can give you is to think carefully, follow your heart, and made your decisions unclouded by emotion."

"How am I supposed to make unemotional decisions and follow my heart at the same time?" I asked. The goddess was certainly the queen of being vague. And contradictory.

She smiled at me cryptically, "When the time comes, you'll understand."

I shook my head at the scary implications of her words. Why did she have to be so cryptic about _everything_? "Ok, what else is there?"

"Well, as an official Heroine, a warrior of the divine, you're to be, well, a peace-keeper and negotiator, it's all part of the job, really. And these duties require you to be able to communicate to all of God's creatures, thus, there is no longer any language barrier to you. You can speak all languages, including non-human ones. It's just as well, since you're a heroine for all creatures, and not just humans."

"Well, that one's pretty cool. I was terrible at learning languages the traditional way, anyways." I commented,

The goddess smiled at my weak attempt at humour. "And, you've already learned much about your elemental abilities. These are ideally more for the combat side of your role, and come with being a divine heroine. You are one with nature itself, now. It's only fitting that you can manipulate some of nature's more intimidating qualities," she smiled wickedly.

My future was beginning to sound more bizarre by the second. Powers? Saving the world (or at least this town) from some great evil? A war? Add a few hobbits, a guy with a beard and cryptic jewellery, and this whole charade could pass for _Lord Of The Rings_….well, a badly written adaptation, anyway.

From her next answer, and the look on her face, the goddess seemed to be reading my mind. "If you think that's bad, wait until I tell you about the shapeshifting,"

"Shapeshifting? Are you serious? Like, turning into animals?"

"Not turning into. More, taking the form of animals. Very few humanoids can actually turn into animals. And those are usually werewolves. You, however, will only be able to take the form of one. The difference is you'll mind will be normal. You won't have to fight for control like some creatures. You'll just be you…with more hair, depending on the shape."

"…wait, so werewolves are real too? What about vampires? And zombies? I thought all these things were just fiction," _how many more surprises does she have in store?_ I wondered,

"I think you'll find that most of what is written in these fiction stories in fact has a grain of truth in it. Or at least that's the case with the old stuff. People weren't that imaginative back then. I mean, you could practically consider Bram Stoker's _Dracula_ as a basic encyclopaedia for Vampirism. But I assure you that real vampires are most certainly not sparkly. Or prone to fall I love with humans (although it's not completely unheard of)." The goddess added, "But many of these original ideas came from the real thing. It's just that the supernatural world is so good at hiding itself, and humans are so willing to overlook the unrationaliseable, that we've managed to keep it all on the down-low,"

"…so are there any vampires or werewolves in the area than can help me? I mean, I can't possibly fight this war all on my own."

The goddess thought about it, "Now that you mention it, I could probably ask, but other than myself, there aren't really any other supernatural beings in the area. Not to say that others couldn't come in. I'll look into that and get back to you."

I sighed in relief. For a moment there, the thought of facing an entire army alone had hit me at quite an alarming pace.

"But I wouldn't hold your breath," she added, "it's best to prepare for the worst case scenario,"

My newly gained confidence shattered once more. "You know what? I think I've had enough 'me' time for one day," I announced sarcastically. Truth was, I was sick of being reminded how doomed I was. "And on top of all this, I'm supposed to settle down, marry one of the guys here, and have a bunch of kids?"

The goddess shrugged, "There's no specifics yet, because you know, you density is unsettled at this point, but that's the general idea. If you want, you can postpone the wedding until after the war…if you think the town will still be here by then,"

"So my choices are to either quickly marry some bloke before the end of the year, or hope that someone will still be alive afterwards, and do it then. Amid a post-apocalyptic wasteland. And probably zombies." I summarised sarcastically,

"That's only if you think you'll fail. Which is all the more incentive to work hard now and secure your victory." She added cheerfully. I wondered how she could approach this all so optimistically, but then I suppose she wouldn't really be affected by the war. She's a deity, after all. She's not the one whose life is at risk. All she'd loose is her fan-base.

Once again, I got the sense that she was reading my mind, "Don't think like that. I _will_ be affected if you loose the war. I may be immortal, but I'm also connected to this land. And if everyone here dies, I'll loose a lot of my power. And have to move full-time to the other transcendental spots. And Sugar Blossom Valley is far too…happy… for me to stand for more than a few minutes."

"So, no pressure then," I replied sarcastically, again.

"Exactly. And don't hesitate to come by again, Simone. I do enjoy our conversations,"

"At least that makes one of us," I mumbled, sensing she was trying to dismiss me.

"And good luck with Josh. And remember what's at stake," she called as I approached the exit,

"Don't worry. I won't let you down," I tried to smile optimistically as I left, before adding, "hopefully,"

* * *

The path back to the farm seemed longer than it had before. The new information was weighing heavily on my mind. I was a heroine. Selected from birth (well, mostly). I was already developing these powerful…abilities. And at the end of the year, I was due to fight something I knew very little about, but most likely evil and powerful, and if I failed, it meant the certain doom of the village. And possibly the surrounding area.

My farm was in sight before I remembered that I had forgotten to ask more about the shapeshifting. It sounded painful. I hoped it wasn't.

I was so deep in my thoughts, that I didn't see the other person on the path, also deep in their thoughts, until we collided. The force of the crash wasn't enough to send us sprawling, but it was certainly enough to cause me to swear.

"Sorry," I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.

"No, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention," Dean replied. I smiled. He was always so polite.

"So, what are you doing out here in the forest?" I asked him,

"I was just going for a walk. I needed to think."

"What about?"

Dean blushed.  
"About Tabitha right? That's so sweet," I cooed.

"Actually, I could use your help about that," he objected,

"Really? What do you mean?"

"Well, I heard about what you did for Jess and Tom, and I was kinda wondering if you…if you could…" Dean trailed off,  
"Help you get a date with Tabitha?" I suggested,

"Yeah," he looked relieved that we were on the same page.

"Sure. It shouldn't be very hard. I mean, it's pretty clear that she likes you,"

"It is?" he was genuinely surprised,

"Of course. I went to the library the other day, and she couldn't stop talking about how nice you were to help her catch that pigeon that got stuck in the attic. And about how kind you were to accompany her to the fireworks festival. I think she's about as clueless as you are,"

Dean seemed to become even redder, if it was at all possible. "So, can you help me?"

"Sure. I'll help you get an unmistakeable date and break the ice on your relationship. Not that I'm an expert or anything. I mean, I can't even get myself a man here. But I'll do what I can."

"…so you managed to set up Jess and Tom without any relationship experience at all?"

"No, I didn't say that. But they weren't very hard. I mean, they both liked each other a lot. All they needed was a push in the right direction. Hell, my dog could've set them up. And your situation looks like much the same. But I _have_ been in relationships before. Several. Clearly, they've all ended now, but I do know quite a bit."

"Well, I don't really mind how much experience you have, as long as you can do for me what you did for Tom and Jess,"

I smiled jokingly. "Careful on your wording. Any eavesdroppers might get the wrong idea,"

Dean flushed red again, this time, in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. I'll go and check on the situation with Tabitha, and try and work out a plan. But don't worry. You guys should be together by the end of the month,"

Dean seemed happy, but overwhelmed at the idea of being with Tabitha so soon.

"…that's fast."

"I suggest you take the time now to get used to the idea," I advised, remembering all too well how terrifying a relationship used to make me.

"Thanks. I owe you one. If there's anything I can do to help you, just say so," Dean assured me.

"Actually, I could use some advice right now," I added, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Metaphorically of course. I would never intentionally kill a bird.

"Sure, what's troubling you?"

I thought about the best way to word it without scaring him off. "Ok, lets just say, I have this deadline. The end of winter. And between now and then, there's a whole lot of preparation I have to do, involving mastering skills that I've never had to do before. Really tricky stuff. And if I don't master all these things, half them I still don't know what they are, by my deadline, it could quite possibly mean the end of the village. Forever. With a whole lot of suffering and chaos." I tried to explain, "And I'm just not sure I can really do it, with all this pressure, and everything. I mean, I can't let the village be destroyed. But the path to victory is so hard, and mysterious. Like climbing up a mountain which is mostly veiled by a really thick and annoying fog. What should I do?"

Dean just cocked his head and smiled. "That's an easy one,"

"It is?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, "'cos it's got me stumped,"

"Just relax, breathe, and take things one step at a time. And don't worry; I'm sure the village won't be destroyed if you can't master farming by the end of the year. And even if you can't, I'm sure people will understand. You're new to this, after all. And farming isn't as easy as it may look. But from what I've seen, you're making great progress. Just keep it up and I'm sure you'll be fine."

It took me a moment to realise that what I had explained could indeed be confused with worries about farming. But of course, I couldn't tell him all about the magic and the war. The town wasn't ready for that just yet. And besides, he did have a point. So I faked a smile. "Thanks Dean, that's really great advice."

He shrugged, "No problem. It's what friends are for, right?"

I smiled back earnestly this time. "It sure is."

* * *

**Sorry this one took so long. I've been really busy with Uni lately. I only updated thanks to some inspiration which hit after kairi6353 reminded me that there are actually people who read this. ^^; thanks for that (just goes to show that if you bug me enough, I'll cave. XD) no, I kid. Seriously though, thanks for the reminder. I seem to have a tendency to forget about a lot of my stories in favour of uni work, my new web comic, and my more popular fics. Which is a shame because I love writing Oak Town Living (when I have inspiration), and I really shouldn't push it aside just because most people don't want a mostly original AU fanfic. That's just silly. **

**So, a big shout-out to all the wonderful people who reviewed last chapter (I'm writing this for you :D): kairi6353, i'MoKyOu'ReOk and mandapanda84 :D thank you for your continued support. **

**And now, for next chapter (well, I've actually started that one. Huzzah!) And things start to get a little more interesting…someone (a long time ago) requested to see some of the actual HM characters here…well, I've got good news. Several of them are making a cameo. I'm not saying any more, other than that when I'm talking about Party Town, I'm not being metaphorical. **

**Until next time, fair readers. R&R and have a great day :D**


	14. A Novel Romance

**_A/N: Chapter 14, wherein Tabitha is surpisingly witty (sometimes) and Jess has a surprise for them all_**

* * *

Chapter 14 – A Novel Romance

The next morning was uncharacteristically cold for summer. When I awoke to see the frost on my windows, it was more than a little startling. Partly because I was used to waking up overheated and with my blankets thrown to the floor during the night, and partly because it reminded me of winter and what it promised.

"What's on the agenda today?" Tabby asked, jumping up to the windowsill.

"I was going to talk to Tabitha at the Library. I've agreed to help her and Dean get together." I told her.

"…aren't they already together?"

"No. Apparently they're the type of people who are too shy to make the first move. So I'm supposed to push them along."

"You must like this whole matchmaking business then," Kelly added from the floor.

"I dunno. It's ok. And it's great to be able to help my friends. But I wouldn't say I'm a matchmaker. These people already know who they like. They just need some motivation to get going."

"Too bad you and Josh aren't that simple," Tabby yawned.

"Well obviously. And he doesn't even like me. So what am I supposed to do there?" I asked desperately, "Maybe I shouldn't have broken up with Luke…"

"Don't be stupid. I can't go out with someone who you don't have any feelings for what-so-ever. Even I know that much," Kelly chided.

"And besides, how do you know Josh doesn't like you? Have you asked him?" Tabby added,

"Of course I haven't asked him. But if he liked me, why would he go out with Bec in the first place?"

"I'm sure there's a good reason for it. You shouldn't be so quick to judge people." Tabby reminded me.

"Why the push to find someone, anyway? You've only been here for four months. You can't be that desperate yet," Kelly asked.

"I personally don't mind taking my time, but it's the Goddess who keeps saying how important it is that I get married and stuff. And she seems to be implying that I do it before the whole war thing." I shrugged.

"…so your supposed to get married before the end of the year? You're not even dating anyone!" Kelly pointed out.

"I know. And I don't want to rush into something like that. I'm hoping that I'll be able to deal with this evil thing quickly and marry someone later. I mean, how can I think about all that when I'm supposed to be working on my abilities?" I exclaimed.

"Has she even told you _why_ you're supposed to settle down?" Tabby asked,

"You know what, She hasn't. I'm beginning to think the Goddess is just trying to make my job harder."

"So, what are you going to do then?" Tabby asked.

"I'm not going to worry about this whole 'settling down' thing. If something happens, it happens, but I'm not going to be looking for love, or anything. I have more important things to do," I decided.

"Like what?"

"Working out other people's love lives,"

* * *

Despite the early morning cold, by the time I had gotten around to tending my animals, it had warmed up immensely. So I had decided to bring them all outside into the fields today. I was quite happy with my farm. I was growing more than enough crops to cover all my expenses and leave me with a significant profit, my animals were all happy and healthy, and I had settled into the farming life quite nicely. My only complaint was that my house had no kitchen. I had been making do for the past few months with the small portable hotplate I had brought with me, and an esky full of ice. And I was eating at the Inn most nights. I definitely needed to upgrade soon.

And the barn could probably use with an extension too. Fluffy was beginning to look lonely as the only sheep there, and I was considering buying some more.

After completing my chores, I headed off to the library, as promised. When I arrived, I found Tabitha putting books away in the cooking section on the ground floor.

"Hey. Quite day?" I greeted her.

"Oh hi Simone. Yeah. You're the first person in here all morning." She replied happily.

"Cool. So no Dean then?" I asked, trying to bring up the topic subtly. Clearly, I was failing.

She blushed. "No, he doesn't usually come in until the afternoon."

"Speaking of Dean, what do you think of him?" I asked, the master of subtlety. Not.

Tabitha stumbled over her words. "Oh, he's…a nice guy. I mean, he's great. I mean…why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you two were together," I replied nonchalantly.

"To-together? What – what do you me-mean?" she asked, flustered,

"You know. As in, a couple."

Tabitha shook her head violently. "No. What ever gave you that idea?"

I smiled. "Oh, I dunno. Just from the way he looks at you. And how you look at him. And how you two are always just talking together, separate from the rest of us. Forgive me for jumping to conclusions. It just seems like rather couple-y behaviour,"

"I'm afraid you were mistaken. We're just friends."

"Close friends,"

"Yes. Even though he's still relatively new here, I guess you would say that we're rather close," she admitted.

"And you're…happy…for it to continue like that. Just as friends?"

"…well, yes. How else would we continue?"

I could tell she was rather reluctant to admit the blatantly obvious.

"And so, since you're just his friend, you wouldn't mind if he started seeing someone else,"

She looked up suddenly, "Huh? Is he seeing someone? Did you hear something?"

"No, not yet. But seeing as you two are just friends, you wouldn't mind if he did, would you?"

Tabitha looked away. "…I guess I wouldn't."

I frowned. I knew for a fact that she _did_ actually have romantic feelings for Dean. Other than it being more obvious than the sun whenever they were together, I could see it from just skimming her thoughts. But there was a reason she was holding back from admitting it. I feared this may be more difficult than I first thought.

"Ok, enough dancing around. Tabitha, I came here for a reason."

"You did?" she seemed genuinely surprised at that.  
"There's no point in denying it. I know that you have a thing for Dean. And I know he feels the same way. And he's expressed to me that he wants to take things further, but he's too shy do make the first move. And now this is getting ridiculous. Do have any legitimate reason for not wanting to start a relationship with him?"

"It's complicated." She replied in a small voice,

"That may be, but you can't get rid of me that easily. At least tell me if you have any interest in being romantically involved with him. Because otherwise, I'm just wasting your time, his time, and mine."

Tabitha took a few deep breaths. "I…I do…want…to…do that…but…"

"I don't mean to make this harder than it is, but for everyone's sake you need to say what you feel out loud."

"…but you know already," she protested.

"Think of it like insanity; admitting it is the first step. And really, Love _is_ a form of insanity. So it shouldn't be that difficult,"

"Fine. I…I…I like…no, I love…Dean. I do. And I'm not going to say it again." She admitted quickly,

I smiled. "You'll have to tell _him_ at some point, but well done. And love after only a month? That's impressive. You two must really be special,"

She seemed more relaxed now that it was out in the open. "So, are you going to help us?"

"Do you still want me to?"

"Yes please. I mean, if he's too shy to do anything, and god knows _I_ could never make the first move…"

"Fine, I'll help. But you're going to have to explain to me the reason behind this reluctance."

"I will. Just not yet. Please. I do want things to progress, lord knows I do. But…I just can't…I want to be with him so much. It's tearing me in two!" she cried,

"Wow, it must be pretty bad,"

"It is. I haven't spoken of it to anyone. And it's a taboo topic with mother. You have to promise me that you won't tell a soul about anything. Not even this conversation. If mother knew about me and Dean…I don't know what she'd do."

"It's not your mother holding you back, is it?" I asked,

"No, not necessarily. But my reluctance now, well, mother has it ten-fold. And that's for including me. She's not too keen on letting men into our lives. And since I still live with her, I have no choice but to follow her rules. I'm just lucky she hasn't tried to scare Dean away already."

"That's harsh. Ah well. But just so you know, if you mother does ever kick you out of the house because of Dean, you're more than welcome to come stay with me. That is, if you don't want to stay with him at the Inn."

"Hopefully it won't get to that, but thank you for the offer." She smiled, "So, what's going to happen now?"

I was about to answer when, the front door opened and Jess's cheerful voice boomed into the building.

"I'll tell you later," I quickly mumbled to Tabitha. She nodded and greeted Jess.

"Tabitha, Simone, great you're both here. I've been looking for you guys." Jess said excitedly.

"Really? Why?" I asked.

"I've got a big surprise for you all tomorrow night." She announced,

"Surprise? What kind of surprise?" Tabitha asked wearily,

"A great surprise."

"Is it anything like your last surprise?"

"What was the last surprise?" I asked.  
"Oh, last year Jess had the _brilliant_ idea for us to all go on a picnic at the beach," Tabitha explained,

"That doesn't sound too bad," I shrugged,

"Perhaps. But it was the middle of winter. And jellyfish season," she continued.

"Oh,"

"James got stung so bad we had to carry him to the clinic. He was bedridden for a week,"

"Ok, so perhaps I don't have just a good track record for these things…" Jess dismissed, "But this time I swear you'll all love it. And there's nothing that can possibly go wrong,"

"I highly doubt that," Tabitha remarked.

"What's the plan?" I asked Jess,

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you…but basically we're going out," Jess replied,

"Out where?"

"Now _that_ is the surprise. But I suggest you wear something...special."

"…special how?"

"Ah…shiny. Yeah, that'll work. Wear something that sparkles. And that little black mini skirt that I saw when we were choosing clothes for the fireworks festival,"

I still had no idea where we were going.

"Well, I'm out," Tabitha said.  
"What? Why?" Jess demanded.

"You know me. I'm not really into the whole going out thing. And if you're going where I think you are, I'm definitely not going. I haven't seen Kai since last year, and I intend on keeping it that way,"

By this point, I was thoroughly confused. "What? Who's Kai?"

"Don't worry. Just some guy. You'll probably see him tomorrow." Jess dismissed quickly.

I turned back to Tabitha. "So you're not going,"

"Nope. But don't worry about me. I've got work to do anyway. You go and enjoy yourself. Maybe I'll go next time." She smiled.

"I guess it's alright then. Who else is coming, Jess?" I asked.

"Oh, most of us young 'uns. Me, Mel, Cass, Aggie, you…and Bec. Girls night,"

"Bec? Wait, I thought you hated her. Why would you invite _her_?"

"I didn't want to, but she happened to be there when I was telling Mel, and I couldn't exactly say 'Only you Mel. You're not invited, Bec'. I couldn't be that mean, even if it is _Bec_."

"Great." I replied. Considering I was the reason she split up with Josh, I hardly wanted to face her any time soon.

Jess sensed my disappointment. "Don't worry though. Knowing Bec she'll probably disappear quickly and we wont see her again until it's time to leave…if that. It'll be fine."

"Alright then, I'm in. Where do we meet?" I sighed.

"Great. In front of the Inn." Jess replied happily,

"…we _are_ going somewhere, right? Not just to the Inn as usual."  
"Of course. It's just that it's the best meeting place. And be there by Five o-clock sharp. It's going to be awesome,"

"Ok, Five tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to it," I half-lied. The fact that she wouldn't tell me anything about the destination was kind of daunting.

"Fantastic. See you later guys," Jess called as she left.

Tabitha smiled wickedly. "This'll be good,"

Surprisingly, her creepy words didn't inspire me with much confidence.

* * *

**Yes, what exactly does Jess have in store for them all? I guess we'll just have to find out next chapter. (well, you will. I already know what's going to happen...cos I'm the writer...XD)**

**Lame jokes aside, big thanks to my reviewers; mandapanda84 and kairi6253 :D you guys are awesome, as usual :D**

**Other than that, R&R and I'll see you next time...where it's going to get *very* interesting. Hint: Up for a wild night out, anyone?**


	15. Party Town

_A/n: Yes, I'm not dead. Just unreliable. I don't even want to think when the last time I updated this was. Just rejoice in the knowlege that while I'll probably continue to drag this story out (update wise), I *will* chip away at it, chapter by chapter, until it's done._

* * *

Chapter 15 – Party Town

After a rather uneventful day of farming and surfing the internet on my laptop for the first time in months, I had arrived early at the front of the Inn. It was about ten minutes to five, but Aggie, Cass and Mel had already been there waiting. I noticed they too were dressed similarly to me. I had dragged out my sparkly silver tank-top that I used to wear clubbing back in New York, as well as the black mini-skirt Jess had suggested. And my favourite black heels. I just love those shoes.

The other girls had shiny, revealing clothes too, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say we were headed to some hip night-club. But that was impossible. We were in a country town in the middle of nowhere. The nearest club was days away, right?

About five minutes later Bec showed up (much to my dismay). She had slutty fishnet stockings on. No surprise there.

I was getting increasingly curious as to our destination.

Minutes later, the boys turned up. Sam, James, Tom, Luke and Josh were all walking towards us, presumably to the Inn for another night of drinking. They stopped immediately when they saw us.

"Where are you lot going, dressed like that?" James asked,

I shrugged. "I dunno. It's Jess' idea. She hasn't told me anything," I replied.

Jess appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and bounded up between us and the boys. "Nothing to see here, just move along," she shooed.

"Where are you going, Jess?" Josh pushed forward, using his Big Brother tone.

"We're going out, not that it's any of _your_ business." Jess snapped back. She wasn't going to let anyone ruin her night.

"You're going to PT, aren't you?" He insisted.

"So what if we are?"

"I'm not letting you all go looking like…that," he replied, looking at me as he said it. I wasn't sure whether to be happy he was looking at me, or annoyed that he was using me as an example.

"You don't have any say in this," I interrupted, "We're going and there's nothing you can do to stop us."

"Oh really?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right," Jess and I replied simultaneously.

"Fine then, we're going with you."

Jess looked horrified. "What? You can't do that! It's a _girls_ night!"

"Oh yes we can. Or are _you_ going to stop me?" Josh challenged.

I could tell this was going to escalate if someone didn't step in. So I volunteered. "If you guys want to go too, that's your business. We can't stop you. But you can't interrupt our night either, ok?" I compromised.

Josh studied me for a moment, before reluctantly agreeing.

Jess did the same.

"Great, so we're all going to this…PT place." I summarised. "Now how do we get there?"

Jess smiled, her previous enthusiasm for the trip returning. "The same way we use to go anywhere; by bus,"

* * *

The bus stop was just outside the town entrance, meters away from the arch. The last time I was there, I had just arrived at this crazy town. And now I was apparently leaving the same way, albeit temporarily. We didn't have to wait long in the increasing darkness before the bus arrived. It was empty except for the bus driver, Bob (as his badge indicated). Jess led the group on board, greeting the driver by name. He seemed familiar with the situation.

Tom directly followed Jess, and I proceeded after him. I sat down in the row behind them, somewhere towards the end the bus. The rest of the group assembled on board. I was surprised when Sam walked down and took the seat next to me.

"Hey Simone," he greeted warmly,

"Hey," I smiled back.

"How have you been lately? We haven't really talked in a while, have we?" he asked in his ever-present Scottish accent,

"No, it's been a while. I'm fine. What about you?" I answered, curious as to this sudden conversation. We had barely spoken a word to each other in the past few months. And the most of those had been in our brief exchanges at the Inn during the weekly all-night Happy Hour.

"Oh, you know, I've been working hard as usual. I hear the farm's doing really well."

"Yeah, I'm pretty happy with it. But I'm thinking of doing some renovations soon. I really need a kitchen,"

"Yes of course. The old house could do with a bit of a revamp."

"And the barn. I was going to get more sheep. Like a flock. And maybe a few more cattle."

"Expanding I see. But the extra animals will require extra work, you realise that now don't you?"

"Of course. But I hear Dean has become a jack-of-all-trades, taking work here and there. I could always hire him to help during shearing. But I don't think I'll get _that_ many new animals. The farm's doing pretty well as it is. I don't really need to go all mass production or anything." I shrugged.

"I see you've thought all this through," Sam remarked.

"Yeah, I kinda have. So what about you? Just blacksmithing along then?"

He grinned, "Yes, it's great. Just a few hours of work a day, and I get to spend the rest of my time hanging out with you lot. Quite a nice lifestyle I've got going."

"Plenty of free time for spontaneous trips like this then," I remarked,

"Yes. It's a shame we don't go to PT more often. But I guess we really just can't afford it. Every time we go, I always end up spending about a months' salary. So it's just as well, really,"

"What exactly is PT? And why is it such a big secret that no-one's willing to tell me?" I asked, hoping to finally get some answers.

"If I told you now it would ruin the surprise. Don't worry, you'll love it," he smiled reassuringly.

"I hope so. But can you at least explain why Josh went all 'protective older brother' back there? What's his problem?"

"Oh you know how it is with siblings. Even though Jess is technically the older twin, Josh still likes to look out for her, as you probably know. And well…once we get there, I'm sure you'll understand his concerns."

"Yeah, they'd better be pretty good if he's willing to interrupt our plans like this," I remarked.

"Oh, they're good. PT isn't exactly a place you'd want to walk around at night on your own. I mean, it's safe enough, but I gather Josh doesn't feel like taking that kind of risk; letting his only sister and her friends gallivant around unprotected. There could be anything in PT. Murders, rapists, drug lords…"

Sam was beginning to get me worried, "What kind of place is this again?"

He smiled, "Sorry, I was exaggerating. Scot sense of humour,"

I nodded sarcastically, "Right. Very funny. There aren't really those kind of people there, are there?"

Sam shrugged, "It's unlikely, but those kinds of people are everywhere, aren't they? Who knows,"

"But we'll all be safe with a group of strong burly men to look out for us, right?" I replied dryly,

Sam backed off, "I'm not saying you girls aren't capable of looking after yourselves or anything. Really. If anything I'd suggest you take it as a compliment that Josh cares about you girls, or at least Jess, enough to want to personally protect her from all the bad things that could happen. And I know Tom agrees."

I liked this explanation much better. "And who are you here to protect, then?" I asked, smirking,

Sam blushed a little, "What makes you think I'm here to protect anyone?"

"Right. You're just along for the ride," I suggested,

"Yeah, that's it." He recovered.

I tapped my nose knowingly. "It's ok. Your secret, when I find it out, is safe with me," I said quietly.

He tried to laugh it off unconvincingly. It only further proved my case. I was temped to mind-skim him and find out who he was crushing on already, but decided it was more fun to find out the traditional way.

I smiled. This was looking to be an interesting night.

* * *

I awoke suddenly as the bus jerked to a stop.

"Alright, we're here. Everybody off," Bob the bus driver announced,

I rubbed my eyes, careful not to smudge the makeup I had painstakingly spent ten minutes applying earlier. It was strange; I didn't remember nodding off.

"Awake now, sleepy head?" Sam asked, holding out a hand to help me up,

"Yeah," I yawned, letting him pull me up from my seat.

"Good. Because PT is definitely a place you don't want to be caught asleep. You might miss all the fun. Or be taken advantage of. Either way, it's best if you're awake,"

"You sure this place is safe?" I asked, once again,

"Hey, is Sam scaring you again?" Luke asked, waiting behind us in the line to dismount the bus, "Because you should know he's just a big fat liar,"

Sam rolled his eyes, "I just want her to be prepared. PT can be a pretty intimidating place, for your first time,"

"Yeah, if you're a wuss. You'll be fine Simone, just stick with me," Luke winked,

"I think I'd probably be safer sticking with Jess," I announced, grabbing her arm protectively as we approached the front of the bus.

She turned sharply, "You boys back off. This is still our night, and not one of you is going to ruin it,"

I poked out my tongue childishly at them. Luke mocked offence and Sam just laughed.

As I got off the bus, my attention was caught by the impressively large sign above the entrance, and I finally understood what PT stood for.

"Party Town?" I asked disbelievingly. It seemed somewhat cliché.

"Yep, PT. The greatest place this side of the globe," Jess replied,

"What? Better than the Disneyland in Japan?"

"Ten times better. We have alcohol and speak English," Luke added,

"Hmm, that _is_ pretty good," I agreed.

"You're gonna love it here," Mel remarked, "This entire town is three long double-sided main streets, each with six to eight of the best and classiest clubs and pubs money can buy. Own one of these and you're set for life. And there's something here for everyone. Every niche is catered to. Which is exactly why we're going to avoid the lower half of Goon Avenue."

"What's in Goon Avenue?" I asked,

"Specialist strippers and prostitutes, mostly. But also a few more disturbing places. Like a dominatrix house. And a bar that _only_ serves body shots,"

"That doesn't sound too bad,"

"Did I mention poisonous snake pit and fetish rooms?"

I winced, "Poor snakes,"

"Yes, the snakes are the ones you should be feeling sorry for,"

"That seems unusually dangerous. How far is it from the nearest hospital?" I asked,

"About 5 minutes, if you're on the fringes," Cass replied,

"…really?"

"Yeah, PT has its own hospital. And it's own five star pay-per-night hotel. Both with very reasonable prices," Cass pointed to two of the larger shapes of buildings in the distance,

"That's convenient," I replied,

"It is," she agreed, "So is the Mega Supermarket,"

"A Mega Supermarket?" This place was beginning to sound more and more surreal by the second.

"Yeah, MegaMart. It's ten floors of everything you could possibly need. Food, water, alcohol, clothes, shoes, bathroom items, books, protection, there's even a bank on the ground floor." Cass said enthusiastically,

"Wow. If this town has everything, why does anyone ever leave?" I was starting to consider moving here, maybe getting a job bartending or something. Had to be easier than farming.

"While individual things don't cost much, it adds up. Most people can only afford to come here a couple of times a year. And job openings are filled in minutes, not days. Maybe people agree with you. It's a very competitive place."

"And also the number one hang-out place for farmers and towines from all the Harvest towns," Josh added,

"Harvest towns are the ones who follow the Harvest Goddess as their main deity. Although these days, it's more of a symbolic gesture," Cass explained,

"Yeah, no one really takes all this Harvest Goddess stuff seriously anymore. Even Fr Steward preaches a more catholic side of the religion," Jess replied.

"So what other farmers come here?" I asked,

"Oh you'll get to meet them soon enough," Jess replied with a grin, "But I should warn you to watch out for Kai, if he's here. He's kinda like Luke, but without the gooey centre,"

I laughed at the mental image, which ended up being something like a Luke-lollypop, cracked open with pink goo oozing out. Very bizarre.

"Enough chit-chat. Let's go!" Jess announced, leading her pack, "Onwards to irresponsible fun!"

* * *

_For anyone who is actually still bothering to read this, thank you. :D I am eternally greatful for your endurance. _

_Review (if anyone's even still reading this), and I'd be really appreciative. But if not, thats ok. I don't write this for reviews. I write it for myself. I must finish. If i can't even finish some silly story i started 4 years ago, how am i supposed to finish a real novel???_


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